A New Addition
by Xain D
Summary: What if a new member joined up with Young Justice, just after Artemis? A new member with a few tricks up his sleeve, and a checkered past? Set in season one, but will eventually develop it's own timeline. Rated T, for possible language.
1. Desmond

_Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, so cut me some slack, yeah? Also, it's probably important to note that this story probably won't follow the correct timelines and such. The beginning takes place just after episode 9, Bereft. Okay, enjoy_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or any of the characters from the show. Only my own characters.**

Chapter One

Desmond

The alarm that blared in Superboy's ear was loud enough to wake anyone in a five mile radius of MT. Justice. He quickly covered his head with his pillow, and punched out blindly for wherever the noise was coming from. Just as suddenly as it had started, the buzzing subsided, to make way for the monotone voice of Red Tornado.

"Attention Superboy, and Miss Martian," it said. "Please meet in the Mission Room. Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Artemis are awaiting your arrival." Superboy groaned and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. Seven a.m. On a Saturday. This had better be good.

XxXxX

Miss Martian gently floated out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Slowly floating over to the mirror above her dresser, she commanded her sleep clothes to morph to her casual attire. The siren was still ringing in her ear. Why did Red Tornado want her and Superboy to meet in the Mission Room so early? And why were the others here? Could they already have a mission? These questions, and more, were floating through M'gann's head when she finally floated outside her room. Superboy was standing in the hallway already, clearly groggy from the rude awakening. She waved to him, and he gave a half-hearted wave back before trudging off for the Mission Room. M'gann shrugged and floated off after him.

XxXxX

"I told you I don't know, Wally," insisted Robin, in response to Kid Flash's constant pestering. He would not shut up about how he was no good in the morning, especially on Saturday. He figured, since he didn't know why they were there, and neither did Artemis or Aqualad, than Robin must know _something_.

"Come on, man," He insisted again. "Batman must've told yousomething about why he'd called us all here so early."

"Speaking of which," said Artemis. While all the other members of the team were wearing casual attire, Artemis hadn't even bothered to change out of her pajamas, which featured pink bunny rabbits (Kid Flash had a field day with that.) "Where _is_ Batman? He said he'd meet us here, right?"

"And here I am," said a deep, gruff voice from the shadows. In a moment, the Dark Knight had stepped into view. _How does he do that? I didn't even hear the Zeta-Beam,_ thought Robin. "Where are Superboy and Miss Martian?" As if on cue, the broad Superboy stumbled into the room, followed by Miss Martian.

"Present and accounted for, Batman sir," said Miss Martian, gently touching down on the floor. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, what was the summons for?" Batman, instead of speaking, stepped aside and motioned behind him, to the Zeta-Tube. In flashed Martian Manhunter.

"Hello children," he smiled. "Nice to see you all," before he could continue, though, M'gann zipped over.

"Uncle J'onn!" she shouted, giving him a tight embrace. Martian Manhunter, though usually reserved, offered a wide grin and returned the hug.

"Greeting, my niece," he smiled. "How has life been treating you since we last spoke?" She grinned wide, and discretely looked back to Superboy. The two had been in that odd "are we dating or not" phase since the first week or so.

"Very good," she said, not mentioning Superboy. "I've found companionship among everyone here. And it's nice having another girl around, as well." She turned and smiled at Artemis, the newest member of the team, who gave a little wave to the Martians.

"I am glad," said M'gann's uncle. He would've said more, but a quick glance from Batman made him decide otherwise. J'onn nodded, and moved away from his niece. She floated quickly back to her spot among the rest of the team. Batman stepped forward again.

"Team, I'd like to introduce you to someone," he said. Just then, the Zeta-Beam flashed a bright orange light, and when it died down, there stood a tall teenage boy. He had short cropped, dark brown hair, and a fair complexion. He looked a bit like Superboy: not like they could be brothers, but maybe distant cousins. He was wearing a light blue shirt and cargo shirts, and he had a deep tan. Batman held his arm out behind him, gesturing to the new arrival. "This is Desmond Marigold. He'll be your newest member." As if that were enough of an explanation, Batman turned and walked back to the Zeta-Tube. He offered a slight nod to this new boy, Desmond, and with a flash, he was gone.

"Uhh…" said the boy, after a moment of silence. "Does he give the cold shoulder to all the new recruits?" Robin walked up to the boy. This new kid towered over the Boy Wonder, but he was used to it.

"That's just Batman for you," he said, extending a hand. "Trust me. You'll get used to it. I'm robin, nice to meet you Desmond." The new boy smiled, showing 32 white teeth, and grasped Robin's hand.

"Thanks," he said. "And call me Des. Desmond seems so, I don't know, formal." Robin opened his mouth to speak, but before he got the chance there was a sudden blur, and an orange haired boy was standing beside him.

"Well, as soon as you pick an actual name, we'll probably call you by that," said the boy, also offering a hand to shake. Des did so, looking quizzical as to what the boy meant by 'actual name.' The boy explained. "Like me. My name's Wally, but you just call me Kid Flash, at least when we're on official business. Right now, though, Wally's fine." Turning, Kid Flash motioned to each of the other members of Young Justice. "That's Aqualad, or Kaldur, when we're being casual. This is Artemis, both as a team member, and just a person. The dude in black is Superboy, and the green girl is Miss Martian, or M'gann. And the green _dude_ is—" But Des cut him off.

"I recognize _the_ Martian Manhunter," he said, walking up to the full-fledged hero, and extending a hand. J'onn politely shook it. "Honor to meet you sir. This has been a crazy few days. First Batman, now you. Man, who's next? Superman?" The kid in black, Superboy, grunted audibly.

"Not likely," he said. Not being one to pry, Desmond kept quiet. But he got the sense there was some tension between the two Supers. _Of course there is_, he thought. _I've never even _heard_ of Superboy up until now._ Martian Manhunter released the new boys hand, and there was a slightly awkward pause. Robin and Kid Flash had returned to their spots in line, and now it seemed all of Young Justice was watching Desmond expectantly. Finally, Miss Martian said what was probably on everyone's mind.

"So, what can you do?" Desmond, despite himself, grinned. He needed a volunteer first. His first choice was Robin.

"Hey," he said, turning to his candidate. "You have, like, explosives on that utility belt, right?" Robin nodded. "Try one on me." Said Des. Robin looked at him like he was insane, but Desmond just nodded. He moved to the middle of the room, clear of everyone else. He held his arms wide, as if saying "You've got a clean shot. Take it!" Robin looked to Martian Manhunter for confirmation, and he nodded. Robin shrugged, and pulled a small metal disc from around his waist. With a sort of apologetic look at Desmond, he tossed the disc right at him. It hit him directly in the chest, and dropped to the floor like a stone. Already that was impressive: those things could pierce metal. Then, the explosion went off.

"Oh my god!" shouted one of the girls. Desmond couldn't tell which it was, but he was pretty sure it was Artemis. The smoke filled the entire cave, making everyone cough, but when it cleared, Desmond stood exactly where he had been previously, not a scratch on him. The team stared for a moment, and then began clapping. Desmond, however, was not done, and he held up a hand to silence their applause.

"There's more?" asked Kid Flash, to which Desmond smiled and nodded. Turning to J'onn, Desmond asked;

"Do you have anything around here you're not using, preferably made of iron or steel?" The hero looked to the corner of the room where a beat-up looking hunk of solid metal sat. The thing must've been used for target practice. Desmond nodded, and politely asked if Martian Manhunter could levitate it over. He obliged, and brought the hunk of metal to rest just next to Desmond. "Watch this," he said. Turning, he walked directly into the hunk of metal. As in, _inside_ of the metal. He walked in and out a few times, sometimes only sticking out an arm or leg, or his head. Once he'd done enough he stepped out completely. Before anything else could happen, however, he held up a finger, as if to say "one more thing." Turning once again to the large hunk of metal, he clenched his hand in a fist, and punched the large block. When he pulled his hand away, there was a foot thick dent where he had punched.

"Very interesting," said Martian Manhunter. "You can change your density. This is a skill most Martians, like myself and M'gann, can learn with a few years of practice. But we can only make it so we can move through objects. You can do that and more, I see." Desmond nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I can make myself nearly invulnerable, and give myself advanced strength." Martian Manhunter, along with several members of the team, nodded their approval. "But, uh, that's not all…" This raised some eyebrows, and Desmond readied himself for what he was about to attempt. Taking a deep breath, he made himself less and less dense, until his molecules were barely keeping together. Then, he bent his knees, and jumped. He rose into the air… and stayed there. He was flying. Well, more like floating, but he could move around slightly. Soon however, he started to feel very out of breath, so he quickly "re-densified" himself, and dropped to the floor.

"That…" said Martian Manhunter. "Was unexpected, to say the least. It appears as if you have four abilities, intangibility, super strength, invulnerability, and flight." Desmond interjected.

"More like three and a half abilities," he said. "I really can't fly all too well, just hover for a moment." Martian Manhunter nodded in understanding.

"I see," he mused. "Still, your other three powers are reminiscent of a few other members of the team." He gestured to Superboy and Miss Martian, standing side by side. "Intangibility, as I have already mentioned, is a common Martian ability. But your super strength and resistance to harm is similar to Kryptonians. Two alien people's abilities, but you are neither. Interesting…" There was another, longer awkward silence as Martian Manhunter stroked his chin. "Ah, no matter," he said at last. "Children, I must go. Superboy, M'gann, Desmond will be staying here with you. Is that correct, Desmond?" Desmond nodded, and J'onn continued. "If you will show him around, that would be much appreciated." With that, he slowly floated off to the Zeta-Beam, and in a flash, he was gone.


	2. Mount Justice

**Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Young Justice, or any of the DC characters or locations mentioned.**

Chapter Two

Mount Justice

Desmond stood there, awkwardly, staring at his new teammates. They stared back, just as awkwardly. "So…" said Des, trying to instigate a conversation out of someone. No one took the bait, however. "Um, is there like a tour, or something?" The team exchanged a few looks, and then gave a collective shrug.

"Yeah, sure," said Superboy. "If you're going to be living here with M'gann and me, you should probably get the lay of the land. Come on, we'll show you around." He turned to leave, but before Desmond could move, Aqualad stood up.

"Regretfully, I will not be joining you on this tour," he said. "I am taking some time off, returning to Atlantis for a while. While I'm gone, Robin, you will take charge, agreed?" Robin perked up immediately, and nodded vigorously. Aqualad smiled, and walked up to Desmond. "I'm sorry I could not stay for your first day on the team. I'm sure you will make an excellent member. I will see you, and everyone else, once I return." He shook Desmond's hand, and in that small amount of contact, Des could tell something was upsetting the Atlantian. Before he could ask, however, Kaldur walked off to where Martian Manhunter had gone, and with a quick beam of light, he too was gone.

"Seemed like a cool guy," said Des. Kid Flash chuckled.

"Come on," said Robin. "We'll show you around the joint." Desmond smiled, and followed the small boy. Well, not directly, of course. The team had formed a line, with Robin in the lead, followed by Kid Flash. After him went Superboy, then Miss Martian, then Artemis, with Des bringing up the rear. As they walked out of the Mission Room, Desmond saw Artemis lean in towards M'gann and whisper;

"Great, the testosterone level increases." M'gann tired to shush her, but couldn't stifle her giggle. Desmond, feeling he should defend both himself, and the other males of Young Justice, leaned in behind his blonde teammate.

"Sorry to disappoint," he whispered. Artemis jumped, not expecting the comment, and whirled around. Her face was bright red, and at this point Miss Martian was bent over with laughter.

"I… uh… I didn't mean…" stammered Artemis. "I didn't think you would hear that. Uhh… sorry…" Desmond shrugged.

"Hey, don't sweat it," he said. "Trust me; I've been insulted a lot worse. And I get it, if I was one of the only two girls on the team, I'd want the new recruit to be a chick too." Artemis still looked slightly guilty, but Desmond rested a hand on her shoulder. "I swear, it's all good." He said with a smile. The heroine smiled back, and they continued down the hall.

"Well, this is the kitchen," said Robin, upon reaching a large room. There were a few stoves, a large fridge, and a fancy looking sink. There was an adjacent living room sort of area, with a large T.V. "Wally spends a lot of time in here." As if on cue, Kid Flash super-sped to the refrigerator, grabbed several food items, and sped back into line.

"Did you say something," he asked Robin, his words muffled by a sausage sticking out from between his front teeth. Artemis groaned.

"Can't you make a good impression," she demanded. "We want Desmond to think we're respectable, and you're screwing it all up!" Desmond quickly stepped between the two.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down guys," he said. "No harm no foul, alright? I've been on the road for a while, and I've had to share space with some pretty nasty guys. Wally's eating habits aren't going to bother me." Kid Flash motioned to Desmond with his thumb.

"See, new guy doesn't mind," he said. Artemis huffed, and crossed her bunny-covered arms. Kid Flash looked at Des, and started rummaging through his pile of snacks. He pulled out a turkey sandwich. "Hungry?" Desmond smiled, but shook his head.

"Im good man," he said. Wally shrugged, and took a bite of the sandwich for himself.

"More for me, then," he said, and Desmond chuckled. _Why was I so nervous?_ He thought. _These guys aren't stuck up, or pretentious at all. They're teenagers!_ Moving on from the kitchen, Robin led the group into a large room, filled to the brim with exercise equipment. Desmond spotted pull-up bars, dumbbells, a few benches, elliptical machines, and treadmills, just to name a few things.

"This place is hooked up," Desmond mentioned with a whistle. Robin chuckled.

"Yeah," he said. "There were a few large donations a while back, and we got the place outfitted with all of the most recent exercise equipment. It's free to use whenever you like. There's a locker room through that door," he pointed to large, metal double doors at the opposite end of the workout room. "Through there you can get to the showers on one end, and the pool on the other."

"You guys have a pool?" asked Desmond. "Sweet." A few members of the team smiled, and the tour progressed. There were a few other, less important rooms, like the medical wing ("Hopefully you won't spend too much time here," Robin had said) and a trophy room, mostly for Kid Flash. Artemis had called it dumb, and he'd just mocked her pajamas again. The tour concluded with them returning to the Mission Room.

"That's about it," said Robin. "The only thing left will be your room, and Superboy can show you that, seeing as how you two are going to be neighbors." Desmond glanced at Superboy, who turned to leave the room. He motioned for Desmond to follow, and after a few nods of thanks to the rest of his new team, he jogged off to catch up with the boy of steel.

"It's just down this way," Superboy told him. They reached a large corridor, lined with several rooms. Most of the doors were shut, but two of them were ajar. He pointed to the one on the right. "That's M'gann's room, and the next one over is mine. Yours is just next to that." He walked over, and opened the door. Desmond walked in, and was taken by surprise by how… bland the room was. Grey walls, a large bed, a dresser and mirror. There was an alarm clock on the nightstand, and a closet in the corner. Aside from that, the large room was empty.

"It's, uh… homey…" said Desmond, trying to disguise how underwhelmed he felt. Superboy shrugged.

"I mean, you can decorate it how you like, I guess," he said. He didn't really seem to care what Des did in his own room, and Desmond liked it that way. Desmond went and sat on the bed. _At least it's soft,_ he thought. After a few years of motel beds, most things felt a lot more comfortable than they actually were. This bed, he could tell, was genuinely soft.

"So now what?" asked Desmond. Superboy was standing by the door, and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. He made a sound like "hmm…" and then shrugged.

"I don't think we're on alert today," he said. "Especially with Aqualad off to Atlantis again. We probably have some training to do with Black Canary, but that's usually not until noon at least. What do you want to do?" Desmond thought for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers, an idea popping into his head.

"I think I'm going to explore this town."


	3. Happy Harbor Calls

_Author's note: Okay, this is a long one. Bear with me, please._

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for Desmond.**

Chapter Three

Happy Harbor Calls

After running it by the other team members, they all felt a day out on the town would be both beneficial for Desmond, and just a fun way to spend time before Black Canary showed up. The group was lined up at the Zeta-Tube, waiting for Artemis to return. She had left to get normal clothes, instead of her pajamas. When she at last did return, wearing a shirt advertising a Coldplay concert from a few years back, the entire team Zeta-Beamed out of Mount Justice, and they were suddenly standing in a Happy Harbor alleyway. Desmond staggered for a moment, emerging from the alley. There was a faint tingling sensation from his stomach down.

"Does that weird feeling happen every time?" he asked the team. A few of them chuckled, possibly remembering their first experiences in the Zeta-Beam.

"You get used to it," said Wally. He was wearing a light yellow shirt, a shade reminiscent of his uniform. He walked along side Robin (whose real name no one felt comfortable sharing with Desmond, but he suspected they didn't know either) who wore a black jacket over a sea foam green shirt. He was always wearing his sunglasses. Behind them walked Superboy and M'gann. Superboy was wearing his black shirt emblazoned with the red "Superman S," and Miss Martian was wearing a light pink and white shirt/skirt combo. She had morphed herself to appear Caucasian instead of green. Desmond and Artemis brought up the rear, just like the Mount Justice tour. But this wasn't a tour; just a day out.

The team walked out from the alley and wandered into a nearby park. There were a few benches arranged in a tight circle, so they decided to sit for a while, and plan out how they would spend their time. Artemis and M'gann sat on one bench, Wally and Robin (who Desmond could already tell were the closest of all the friends) sat on another, and Superboy sat with Desmond.

"So what's fun to do around here?' Desmond asked. Superboy shrugged next to him, along with Artemis and Robin.

"Beats me," said the boy of steel. "I might live around here, but I spend most of my time in the cave." But Wally stood up.

"I know!" he shouted. "I come here sometimes when I'm bored, before we have meetings. There are some sweet beaches a little further north. There's a bowling alley, and a huge mall with a movie theater." The team looked around at each other, and shrugged.

"Up to you," said Robin. "We'll do whatever." Kid Flash smiled, as if he never got to make decisions (which wouldn't surprise Desmond) as he contemplated his choices.

"Movie it is then!" he said. The rest of the team shrugged once again, and got up to follow Wally.

"Where is this place, anyway?" asked Superboy. Wally thought for a minute, and then pointed away from the park.

"About five miles that-a-way," he said. "If we hurry we'll make the next showing. Hey Rob, check what's on."

"Already ahead of you," said the boy wonder, his face glued to a Smartphone. It didn't look like any phone Des had ever seen, and figured it was probably some sort of high tech Bat-Phone or something. Robin scanned the screen for a moment, and then shrugged. "Nothing looks particularly good," he said. "Besides, you said the place was five miles away. That might be a four minute trip for you, but it'd take us a while to walk there, and it's already nine. We've got to get back by at least ten thirty." Artemis groaned audibly.

"So we're back to square one then?" she asked, sounding exasperated.

"Looks like it," Desmond said.

"Great…" said Artemis, crossing her arms across her chest. She sighed, as did everyone except Kid Flash, who was considering super-speeding to a movie by himself.

"Well," said M'gann after a while. "We could always—" She was interrupted, however, by an alarm sounding from slightly off in the distance, and people screaming. In an instant the team was on their feet, Desmond included. They quickly ran to where the alarm was coming from, and found a mass of people fleeing a bank, with a small fire growing in one of the windows. Superboy grabbed a fleeing bank clerk by the arm.

"What's going on in there?" he demanded. The clerk looked startled, with a wild glint in his eyes. He stammered out an answer, however.

"Th-there was some m-m-maniac in a green bug suit," he managed. "He just appeared, lit a few fires, and demanded the money." With that the clerk broke free of Superboy's grip, and ran away shouting for help. All eyes fell on Robin, who was the resident expert on obscure villains. Of course, he did know who the culprit was.

"Sounds like Ambush Bug," he said, nodding to himself as he did so. "He's not really on a side; he fights with the JLA sometimes and against them others."

"Seems like this is one of the latter times," grumbled Kid Flash. "Let's get in there!" The team charged into the building, brushing quickly past the fleeing bank-goers. Sure enough, a skinny man in a lime green bug suit was standing inside a vault, the door ajar, shoveling money into a large brown sack.

"How cliché," Artemis said under her breath. Robin, probably remembering Aqualad's decision to grant him leadership, quickly devised a plan.

"Alright guys, let's be smart about this," he said. "Artemis, make sure everyone gets out all right. M'gann, Wally, start putting out those fires. I'll start barricading the doors so he can't escape. Superboy, you and Desmond will get Ambush Bug." Desmond looked at the small boy incredulously.

"Me, are you sure?" he asked. "I mean, I don't have training or anything." Robin stared hard at the new team member.

"No, but you have incredible powers. I've dealt with Ambush Bug before. He's crafty. Even in such a small space, he can avoid most of your advances. You two need to find a way to corner him, then get his suit off."

"That's your plan?" asked Superboy. "Get a naked bank robber?" Robin shook his head.

"Ambush Bug is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and he's a teleporter," he explained. "But the power is linked to his suit. I bet if you just tear some off, you can get him to stop moving. Go!" With that, everyone went to their respective assignments. The kid may have only been thirteen, but Robin could command a team like a regular leader.

"Come on!" shouted Superboy, and Desmond snapped out of his thoughts. The two heroes rushed towards the bank vault. Upon reaching it, Ambush Bug looked up from his sack full of money, and studied the two boys. He pointed at Superboy.

"Nice symbol," he said. His voice was high and erratic sounding. "Where's the _real_ Superman. I didn't call for a poser!" This got Superboy mad, as he charged into the safe. "Uh-uh!" said Ambush Bug, wagging a finger. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Suddenly, a tap on the shoulder made Desmond whirl around. Ambush Bug was behind him, waving like it had been a while since they'd seen each other. "Miss me?" he asked, just before disappearing again.

"Where'd he go?" shouted Superboy. "He was right behind you, why didn't you grab him?" Kid Flash, running by in the process of dousing a fire, gave his two cents.

"Now's not the time for arguing!" he shouted above the roar of the flames, which by now had grown quite tall. Just then, Ambush Bug appeared in front of Kid Flash and stuck his leg out. Wally tripped, but his momentum was too great, and carried him right towards the fire.

"Wally!" shouted Desmond. Just before he would have been engulfed in flames, Kid Flash began floating in the air. Looking across the room, Desmond saw Miss Martian motioning her hand in a way that told him it was she that had levitated Kid Flash.

"Get the Bug!" she shouted, setting Wally down safely away from the flames. Desmond swiveled his head, looking for where the villain had gone off to. Low and behold, Desmond found, he was back I in the safe, cramming more money into his satchel. The nearest person too him was Superboy, who hadn't noticed him yet.

"Superboy!' shouted Desmond. "Shut the safe!" Without asking questions, the boy of steel did as he was asked to. He grabbed the large steel door, swung shut, and bolted it. Desmond turned to Robin, who had finished barricading the doors, and was now helping M'gann and Wally extinguish the flames. "Robin, can this guy teleport through walls?" Desmond shouted. Robin shook his head quickly, not taking his eyes off the roaring flames. Desmond ran up to Superboy, who was still standing next to the locked safe.

"He's right where you want him, right?" asked Superboy. Desmond nodded, and smiled, despite the situation. "I'm going to help the others. Take care of this freak, alright?" Superboy said. Desmond nodded once again, and without further ado, phased through the two foot thick steel door, into the bank vault with Ambush Bug.

When Ambush Bug caught sight of the young hero, he jumped back a bit. Then he smiled through his bug mask.

"Hey hey, neat trick," he said, eyes locked on Desmond, but still filling his bag with cash. He quickly tied the sack into a knot, and slung it over his shoulder. "Want to see mine again?' He disappeared again, but Desmond was ready this time. He spun on his heel, now facing the door. As he expected, Ambush Bug appeared before him. He was smiling, but it quickly faded as he realized the new hero had anticipated his attack. Desmond grabbed the bug by his left arm, but the villain was ready. He dropped the sack from his right hand, and swiped at Desmond's face. He had enough time to dodge, but in the process he let go of Ambush Bug's arm. The villain cackled, picked up his sack, and tossed it near the door. "Alright, now I'm ready for a fight. Bring it on, kid!"

"My pleasure," Desmond growled, and charged at the man in green. He reached for Ambush Bug, but he teleported behind him and kicked out his legs. Desmond fell to the floor, and rolled onto his back with just enough time to shield himself from another kick. He grabbed Ambush Bug's ankle, and flung him across the vault. He collided with the wall, leaving a dent in the several safety boxes that he came in contact with.

"That's gonna bruise," the bug mused, as he cracked his neck a few times. Then he charged at Desmond once again, sending punch after punch at the young hero. Robin hadn't been kidding; for a man in a goofy suit, this guy could really fight. Desmond had to spend all his energy defending himself. Even with invulnerability, a punch to the face was still a punch to the face. But Ambush Bug was tiring out, not seemingly able to harm the young man. He let up his attack ever so slightly, and Desmond saw his chance. Reeling his arm back, he released a punch that was sure to knock the wind out of an elephant. Ambush Bug went flying across the room, slammed into the wall, and actually broke through the concrete. He fell to his knees, and slumped over. Behind him was an Ambush Bug shaped hole in the wall. Desmond walked over to him, and the villain held up his hands, wrists together.

"You're done," said Desmond. Ambush Bug looked at him, and smiled.

"Not yet, punk," he said with a cackle. But before he could teleport away, Desmond grabbed his green outfit at the chest, and pulled hard. There was a ripping sound, and in an instant there was no longer Ambush Bug. There was a thin man, sitting in a bank vault, in nothing but a green bug mask, and a pair of boxers. He looked at Desmond, and hung his head. "Okay, _now_ I'm done," he admitted. Desmond smiled and grabbed him around the neck.

"Superboy!" he called. "I got him. Open the vault." In a moment, Superboy had pried the large metal door open. Desmond carried the disrobed villain into the foyer of the bank, and Robin ran up to him. "Robin, I got him!" said Desmond excitedly. Robin had a worried expression.

"That's great Des," he said, grabbing Desmond's hand and leading him to the center of the room. "Now drop him here. The cops and the press are on their way, and we've got to get out of here." Desmond looked around, realizing that he, Robin, and Superboy were the only ones left.

"Why?" asked Desmond quizzically. "Shouldn't we, like, smile for the cameras or something?" Robin shook his head.

"Yeah, if you want the whole world to know who you are," he explained. "We don't have our outfits on. They'll know our identities!" Robin pushed Ambush Bug onto his stomach, and Superboy placed a large piece of splintered wood on his back so he couldn't get away.

"But I don't even _have_ an outfit!" Desmond said, being dragged by Robin to the back exit of the bank.

"We'll work on that too," he said, smiling. As they exited the bank, Desmond found the rest of the team waiting for them. A few raised their eyebrows. "Desmond handled Ambush Bug. The police will get him back to Belle Reve." The team took off running, heading for the Zeta-Beam in the alleyway. Kid Flash moved next to Desmond (he wasn't running at is top speed, of course, or he'd have been to the alley and back at least ten times by this point).

"Dude, taking out a villain on your first day," he said. "Not bad, if I do say so myself." Desmond smiled.

"Thanks man," he said. KF nodded, and the rest of the sprint back was spent in silence. When they arrived at the alley, reaching the Zeta-Tube, the team began walking in. First went Superboy, followed by Kid Flash. Artemis went next, then Miss Martian. Robin walked up to the beam, but didn't walk in. First, he needed to get Desmond inside.

"Zeta-Beam override," he said. "Robin, B01." Robin turned to Desmond. "We'll need to do that until we get you into the database. Now go!" Desmond nodded, and without a word, he walked into the bright orange light. In an instant he was back at Mount Justice. Robin followed him in, and the two walked through the Mission Room.

"I think I'm starting to get used to it," said Desmond, addressing the strange feeling that accompanied the Zeta-Beaming. Robin chuckled.

"Good," he said with a smile. "Now, let's get our stories straight. Black Canary will want to hear about this when she shows up."

"Yes, she will," came a voice from the dark corner of the room. It was definitely a woman, but not M'gann or Artemis. Into the light stepped a woman in a dark shirt, with long blonde hair. Desmond immediately recognized her as Black Canary. "Now get to talking."

_Finally, some action! Just a little side note, I know they pronounce "Belle Reve" sort of like how you rev an engine. I pronounce it "Reeve." Just wondering if it bothered anyone else? Anyway, hope you liked it. Please review and what not._


	4. New Identity

_Author's note: So this one will be a bit shorter, but I'm really starting to pump out these chapters! I'll try and get a new one up soon._

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the DC characters, only Desmond.**

Chapter Four

New Identity

"Black Canary," said Robin, taking a tentative step backwards. "I thought you wouldn't be getting here for at least an hour." She crossed her arms and strode towards the two young heroes. Desmond wasn't sure how the others had gotten past their instructor, but he envied them. They were probably watching from somewhere safe, away from Canary's death glare.

"I wasn't going to be here until later," she explained. "But Green Arrow called me. Said he tried to reach Artemis, but couldn't reach her. I volunteered to see if anything was going on, since I was going later anyway. Now, talk." Desmond and Robin exchanged a look, and Desmond nodded. Robin turned his attention back to Black Canary, and Desmond assumed he was going to explain.

"Have you met Desmond? He's new," he said, instead of what Desmond had predicted. He slapped Robin in the back.

"Dude?" he asked. "Why are we talking about this _now_?" But Black Canary, instead of demanding to hear where her apprentices had been, uncrossed her arms and strode over. Desmond's entire body stiffened at the sight of this beautiful yet angry woman. He'd heard stories of Black Canary deafening her enemies with her "Canary Screams." It was only his first day, and he didn't want it to be his last as well. But instead of shouting the new hero to the ground, the young woman stuck her hand out.

"No, I haven't met him," she said, with a faint smile. "Nice to meet you, Desmond. I'm sure you already know, but I'm Black Canary." Desmond and Robin shared a look of shock, before Desmond dumbly held out his hand, shook hers, and said;

"Uh… I, uh…" After that, he sort of gave up taking. How a person could go from fuming to friendly in a minute was beyond him. Black Canary chuckled as she released Desmond's hand.

"Don't worry, my bark's much worse than my bite," she said. "Pun intended. Come on you two, we'll talk in the living room." Desmond and Robin, still dumbfounded by what was going on, followed Black Canary silently down the hallway leading towards the living room. When they arrived, Desmond was shocked to see the rest of Young Justice sitting on the couch, seemingly deep in discussion. As soon as the three new arrivals walked in, however, they became silent. Superboy, Wally and Artemis all got up to leave. "Sit," commanded Black Canary. The team members did so, and Black Canary followed suit in her own chair. She looked at Desmond and Robin, and motioned them towards the couch. They sat, and Black Canary scanned the eyes of all the team members. "Somebody start talking, now." She said coldly. No one said anything at first, but after a while, Artemis spoke up.

"Have you met Desmond yet?" she asked innocently. Black Canary smirked.

"We tried that already," said Robin glumly. Artemis sighed, and slumped down in her cushiony green chair.

"This is what happened," said Superboy suddenly. He explained all that had happened, including filling her in on Desmond's powers, and how they helped take down Ambush Bug. When he finished, the whole room was silent for a moment. Then Black Canary's eyes locked with Desmond's. They were piercing.

"So," she mused. "You took out a villain on your first day on the team, eh? Not bad. Of course, Ambush Bug is hardly a threat to most people, but he is a villain none the less. Good job." With that, she stood up and went to walk out of the room.

"Wait," called Desmond. "That's all? I mean, we're not in trouble?" Black Canary turned to the new hero and smiled.

"I can give you all a punishment, if you really want," the team collectively shook their heads. She grinned. "That's what I thought," Black Canary said, glancing at her watch. "Meet me for training in the Mission Room in 45. Until then, you all have fun." With that, she walked away. Desmond turned to look at the rest of the team, who shared his confused expression.

"So…" he started. "Now what do we do?" There were a few shrugs, and Wally zipped over to the couch, and clicked on the large TV. He began flipping through channels. After a while Superboy got up and joined him. M'gann, Artemis, Robin and Desmond sat in their chairs.

"Hey," said Artemis suddenly, directing it at Desmond. "Have you thought of a name yet?" At this Wally and Superboy both looked over from the TV show they were watching, and raised their eyebrows. Desmond shook his head.

"Not really," he said. "I mean, I know it's really important, but I think it'll feel kind of weird going by a different name, you know." Artemis got up, walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of chips, and walked back into the living room.

"Shame you don't have a name like mine," she said, sitting back in her chair and plopping a chip into her mouth. "Artemis is, like, the _perfect_ name for an archer. But 'Desmond' doesn't really have anything to do with your powers. Pringle?" She offered the can to Desmond, who nodded. She tossed the tube to him, and he too shoved a handful in his mouth. KF walked over and sat Next to Desmond and Robin, making the couch a bit crowded.

"Plus, you don't have another hero that you can base your name off of," he said, grabbing a few chips from out of Desmond's hand. "I mean, Kid Flash, Superboy, Aqualad, and Miss Martian. Those names practically write themselves." Desmond nodded.

"Give it time," said M'gann. "The right name will come to you after a while." Desmond took a few more chips, and tossed the tube back to Artemis, who had been gesturing to it for some time.

"But I don't _have_ time," explained Desmond. "What if we go out on a mission? I can't go out there as Desmond. I need to have another identity." Superboy finally stood up.

"Shifter," he said.

"What?" asked Desmond.

"Call yourself Shifter," said Superboy again. "Because you can shift from two extreme levels of density, really high or really low." The room was silent for a while as they all pondered it.

"Shifter," said Desmond at last, testing how it sounded coming out of his own mouth. "Yeah… yeah I like that. Shifter… You guys think it works?" he asked, addressing the rest of the team. They shared a few looks, and their nods signified a unanimous yes. "Alright, Shifter it is. Thanks man." He said to Superboy. The boy of steel smiled.

"Don't mention it De— I mean, Shifter," he said with a grin. Desmond chuckled.

"Shifter," he said, once again, to himself. "That's going to take some getting used to…" Just then Wally stood up and put an arm around Desmond.

"Come on, Shift-Man," he said. "Let's see what's on TV."

_So, there's Desmond's new identity. How do you like it? Soon he'll get an outfit to go with it, but I'm not sure when that'll be. I'm hoping to explore Happy Harbor some more, because I really wanted to know more about Superboy and Miss Martian's civilian lives. So look out for that, too._


	5. Some Light Sleuthing

_Author's Note: this one will be medium-length, and have a bit of a twist ending. Enjoy_

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the DC characters, only Desmond.**

Chapter Five

Some Light Sleuthing

After another half an hour watching TV, the team converged on the Mission Room. Black Canary was waiting for them, slowly wrapping her wrists in tape. When the team walked in, she smiled at them.

"Alright everyone," she said in a commanding voice. "There are six of you, so you'll all need to pair up. You'll rotate partners and every five or ten minutes, I'll pick one of you out to spar with me." M'gann raised her hand. "Yes M'gann?"

"When one of us is sparing with you, what will our partner do?' Canary smiled.

"Good question," she said. "The partner will observe their partner sparing with me, because they will automatically be next to go. Remember who your original partner is, because those are the pairings that I'll use to decide who the second of the two partners is. Now, are there anymore questions?" No one said anything. Black Canary grinned, and clasped her hands together. "Perfect, partner up!" she exclaimed. Artemis and M'gann were immediately together, as were Robin and Kid Flash. Desmond turned to Superboy, and shrugged.

"Looks like we're partners," he said. Superboy grinned.

"Yeah, looks like it," he said. "Don't worry; I'll go easy on you." Desmond smiled at the friendly challenge.

"Less talking, more sparing you two." Shouted Black Canary. Desmond locked eyes with Superboy, and the two nodded simultaneously. Then they were off. Superboy immediately charged at Desmond, who evaded the strike. He went to punch for Superboy's side, but the boy of steel blocked it effortlessly. Superboy punched again, managing to land a hit this time, and sent Desmond flying. He landed on his back, and seized his chance. Shifting his density, he passed through the floor below him, and moved under Superboy. Thrusting upward, Desmond shot up just behind Superboy. He grabbed his ankle as he rose, while shifting his density again. Now that he possessed his super strength, he took Superboy's ankle, and swung him like a baseball bat. He spun his teammate around in circles a few time, and just before he was going to let go, Superboy's other foot collided with Desmond's face. He flew back, releasing his sparring partner in surprise.

"That was dirty!" exclaimed Desmond.

"No one said you can't play dirty!" said Superboy, before he charged again. Desmond had just enough time to stand back up when Superboy was upon him. The two were about to collide, but Desmond shifted once again, and Superboy flew right through him. He crashed on the floor, next to where Robin was sparring with Wally.

"You alright Supes?" asked Wally, in between blocking Robin's kicks. Superboy got up and wiped some sweat from his forehead.

"Peachy," he stated. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a newbie to beat the crap out of." He said it jokingly, of course, but Desmond tensed up nonetheless. Superboy jumped upon Desmond, who quickly jumped out of the way, barely making it away from Superboy's tackle. Desmond hardened himself again, and ran up to Superboy. He crouched, swung out his leg, and toppled the boy of steel. Superboy crashed onto the floor, making a sickening thud.

"Alright, switch," called Black Canary. "I want to see you, Robin. Be ready Wally, you're next. Desmond, grinning, offered a hand to Superboy.

"I _did_ say I was going to go easy," said Superboy, having Desmond help him up to his feet. Desmond rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you said that," he smirked. "So why weren't you?" Superboy playfully punched him in the arm.

"I'll take M'gann, you take Artemis?" he offered. Desmond caught the hint, and grinned.

"Trying to get more face time with your _girlfriend_?" he joked. Superboy gave him a glare that, if it was Super_man_ probably been accompanied by laser vision.

"Shove it, Shift-head," he said. Okay, while the insult was clever, Desmond felt that it was unfair, seeing how it was Superboy had given him the name in the first place.

"It's cool, man. Have a good fight," said Desmond. Superboy nodded, and turned to walk towards Miss Martian. Desmond spun on his heel, and waved Artemis over. She jogged to where the boy was standing, and got in a fighting stance.

"Don't think you need to go easy on me because I don't have powers," she assured him. "Lay it on me." Desmond shrugged.

"Alright," he said, and the fight began. Artemis immediately jabbed for Desmond's chest, but he blocked it with his wrist. She thought on her feet, and grabbed the wrist. Kicking at his waist and pulling on his arm simultaneously, she flipped him over, landing him on his back. His eyes widened in surprise. "Damn!" he exclaimed. Artemis grinned smugly.

"Told you that you didn't need to go easy on me," she taunted. Desmond grinned. He liked her attitude. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try and kick her butt. Sweeping his leg around, he tried to trip up the archer. She jumped out of the way, putting enough distance between the two of them for Desmond to get up safely. He ran at her, and she readied a strike. Thinking fast, Desmond lowered his density, and passed right through the girl. He spun around, returned to normal, and jabbed at her back. She fell to her knees, but kicked out behind her, hitting Desmond in the knee. He cried out, as he felt his knee dislodge slightly. Quickly popping it back in place, he got back into a fighting stance. Artemis was on her feet, ready to strike. "You think you can keep going?" she asked, mockingly. In response, Desmond charged at the girl. She wasn't expecting it, so he was able to topple her. She fell to the floor, and he landed on top of her. For a brief moment, they looked into each other's eyes, not moving. Then, almost simultaneously, they shook their heads to knock themselves out of it. They were about to return to their battle, when Black Canary called out.

"Desmond, get over here!" Des looked over to his teacher. Apparently she had already sparred with Wally (who was nursing a sore shoulder) and had moved on to her and Superboy. Desmond got up, and held out a hand to Artemis. She took it, and he helped her to her feet.

"Uh, thanks," she said, trying to avoid eye contact. Desmond as well couldn't shake the feeling he'd had a moment ago, but he walked over to Black Canary. Superboy was waiting for him as well.

"Alright, let's do this," he said, getting into a fighting stance. Black Canary, however, shook her head. Desmond put a quizzical look on his face. Black Canary gestured to the hall leading to their rooms.

"Batman just showed up," she explained to him. "Says he wants to speak with you. Alone. He's in your room." Desmond exchanged a confused look with Superboy, who just shrugged, obviously as confused as he was. Desmond turned to Black Canary, nodded, and went off to his room to speak with the Dark Knight.

XxXxX

Upon reaching his room, Desmond was shocked to find something he didn't expect. His closet and dresser were both open, and filled to the brim with new clothes. Standing next to the dresser was Batman, his dark cowl covering his face.

"You, um, wanted to see me, sir?" asked Desmond. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like kneeling in front of the caped crusader. Batman stared at Desmond with a blank expression.

"Yes," he said at last. "As you can see, the league went to the trouble of getting you an all new wardrobe." Desmond was going to thank him, but Batman held up a hand. "No thanks are necessary," he said solemnly. "It's only correct you have more than one outfit for when you start school." Desmond's eyebrows arched, confused.

"School?" asked Desmond.

"You, Miss Martian, and Superboy will all be attending Happy Harbor High school starting this Monday," the vigilante explained. "Of course, they will need to chose new names, to go with their civilian identities. I'm sure you've had a similar problem, picking a new heroic identity." Desmond piped up.

"Actually, I've—" he started, but Batman cut him off again.

"You've taken the name Shifter, I know," he said. "It's fitting. Superboy has a knack for these things." Desmond was surprised, but felt like he shouldn't be. Batman was the world's greatest detective, after all. This wasn't even a secret for him, so why shouldn't he have already figured it out. "We'll get you an outfit to go along soon." The Bat assured him.

"That's what Robin said, too," said Desmond. Batman nodded; perhaps he knew that, too. He moved away from the dresser, and went to walk out the door. Before he did so, however, he stopped in front of Desmond. This close Desmond realized, for the first time, that Batman had a scent that combined blood and gun smoke.

"Desmond," he said, in a voice barely above a whisper. Desmond had to lean in slightly to hear what the Dark Knight had to say. "I've done some light sleuthing. I know about your father." Desmond's eyes went wide, and he jumped back from Batman.

"You can't tell the others!" he shouted, not considering who might hear. Batman held out his hands to calm the young hero down.

"I wasn't planning on it," Batman said, keeping his voice low. "I just wanted you to know that your family doesn't make you who you are. _You_ are what makes you who you are." With that, Batman strode out of Desmond's room without another word, leaving him to his thoughts.

_So there you go. Desmond has a secret. What is it, you ask? Well, I guess you'll need to wait for updates to find out the truth._


	6. First Class

_Author's note: This one is going to take a breather from the actual heroic aspects of Young Justice, and focus on M'gann, Superboy, and Desmond's civilian lives as students at Happy Harbor. Enjoy, review, favorite, and follow please!_

**Disclaimer: If you took Desmond out of this story, it would be produced by DC comics. I own none of it.**

Chapter Six

First Class

Sunday flew by, however uneventful it may have been. The day had mostly consisted of Aqualad's return, and Desmond getting to know him better. The two got along well, and Desmond felt it important to regale the Atlantian about what had happened with Ambush Bug. Aqualad had been impressed by Desmond's triumph, and approved of 'Shifter' as well. Then he told the group how his time in Atlantis had been.

"My king has been making great strides to bring peace to warring cities," he explained. "He wished for me to make a few appearances, shake a few hands, and explain how things on the surface world are handled. I used the peace negotiations taking place in Taipei as an example." Desmond wasn't sure what that was, exactly, so Robin quickly gave him a crash course so he could stay with the conversation. After that, the team just spent some time lounging around the cave. There were no alerts requiring them, and it had rained all day, so there was no point going outside. The sun set that night had been a relief, really.

The next morning Desmond was woken by his alarm. He turned it off, got out of bed, and went to put on some clothes. He chose a red shirt, and a pair of jeans. _Hopefully I won't need to fight any villains,_ he thought to himself, slipping on the slightly tight pants. They wouldn't offer much mobility. Leaving his room, he walked into the Mission room. He found Superboy and Miss Martian there, as he had expected. Surprisingly, though, they were joined by Kaldur, Martian Manhunter, and Red Tornado. Desmond joined his "classmates" in a straight line. Miss Martian was wearing that same pink and white combo, and Superboy was wearing his regular shirt, but folded inside out, accompanied by a dark jacket.

"Morning," said Desmond, yawning slightly. "We off to school, or what?" Superboy rubbed sleep out of his eyes, but M'gann seemed like she'd been drinking coffee since four in the morning.

"Not yet," she said excitedly. "Superboy and I still need to think of civilian names. Well, actually, just Superboy." With that, M'gann changed her skin tone to Caucasian. "Call me, Megan Morse!" Desmond nodded, then looked to Superboy.

"What about you?" he asked. "I'm sticking with Desmond, by the way." Superboy shrugged.

"Hadn't given it much thought," he admitted. He seemed to wrack his brain for a minute, when M'gann—or, Megan—floated up, with a finger raised in order to interject.

"I've always like Conner," she offered. Superboy looked at her, then looked at Desmond, then back at M'gann. He shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" he said. M'gann smiled warmly, as if this gave her some weird sort of pleasure. "I'll need a last name, too." Superboy/Conner reminded everyone.

"What about… Kent?" offered Martian Manhunter. Desmond raised an eyebrow, wondering where the Martian had come up with that name on the spot. But Megan seemed to know.

"Oh, in memory of Kent Nelson," she said. "That's really nice." Now Desmond understood. Another part of what had happened on Sunday was the team filling him in on some of the missions they had already been on. He'd heard all about the old magician, the helmet of Nabu, the whole enchilada. Martian Manhunter had a look as if there was something that his niece wasn't fully understanding, but instead just said;

"Uh… yes. For Kent Nelson."

"I'd be honored, I guess," said the newly named Conner Kent. Then, with a few nods and wishes of luck, the three friends were off. "Wait, shouldn't I be Conner Nelson?"

XxXxX

Desmond should have known things wouldn't go well, but he didn't know things would go wrong so soon. The three had just arrived at the school, waves of students were still filing in and out of doors. Conner, Megan, and Desmond were just trying to make their way inside. Suddenly, a short boy on a skateboard came barreling towards them. Conner, without thinking, grabbed the boy by his jacket, and hoisted him high into the air.

"Dude?" questioned both Desmond and the poor boy simultaneously. Conner snarled, and poked the boy in the chest.

"Explain this," he said, not moving his finger from the boy's body. Desmond looked to see what Conner was pointing at, and realized the boy was wearing a shirt with the letter 'M' on it, but stylized like the Superman shield. Suddenly, a deep voice came from behind them.

"What's your problem," the three new students looked to find the source of the voice. A large African American student, wearing a Superman shirt (with the _actual_ Superman shield) was staring at Conner. "But my man Marvin down." He ordered.

"I… I don't think he likes my shirt," stammered the boy, Marvin. Superboy's eyes scanned the crowd of students who had gathered, possibly expecting a fight. He quickly realized how many of them were wearing shirts that bore the symbol of a League member; on boy had a Flash T-shirt, one had a Green Lantern Hoodie.

"Your shirt's fine," Conner grumbled, begrudgingly putting the small boy down. "Everyone's shirt is fine." M'gann quickly tried to cover for Superboy's little scene.

"Hi," she offered. "We're new. I'm Megan Morse, this is Conner Kent, and Desmond Marigold." The comment didn't help, however, as Conner strode over to the student that had called him out. They had a small stare down for a second, and Desmond was sure it would have escalated to a full out brawl, had someone not snapped their fingers. Everyone looked for the source of the sound. It was in a thin man in a black jacket, probably a teacher.

"Alright, time to get to homeroom, gang," he said. The students exchanged some glances, and began filing inside. As the large boy walked past Conner, he bumped his shoulder into him, clearly on purpose. Conner spun to face the boy, and gritted his teeth, but a stern look from Miss Martian told him to check himself.

"Dude," interjected Desmond, as more and more students began walking away. "I know you aren't used to popular culture, what with being in a pod for your whole life, but for teenagers, the League is what's cool. There's going to be a lot of Superman merchandise, so you'll need to learn and deal." The conversation died down as two students walked over, a girl in a cheerleading uniform, and the skateboarder who Conner had harassed not two minutes ago.

"Hi, I'm Wendy," said the girl. She had short black hair. "I was new last year, so I know how hard it is to fit in. But you look like instant Bumblebee Material to me." This was met with quizzical looks from the three young heroes, so Wendy explained. "Cheerleaders. The Bumblebees. Tryouts are after school." Conner and Desmond both rolled their eyes, but Megan couldn't have looked happier.

"Thanks, I'll be there," she said. And then they walked off together. Just like that M'gann M'orzz, the Martian, had made an earth friend. That was more than one could say for the human or the Kryptonian. But the conversation wasn't over yet, as the boy, Marvin, walked up. He quickly caught Conner by the chest.

"Dude," he started, sounding slightly like Kid Flash. "Facing down Mal Duncan. Fierce! Not too bright, but fierce." He walked away as Desmond stifled a chuckle.

"Come on, man, let's get to homeroom," he said, patting Conner on the shoulder. The big guy had finally calmed down, but was being pretty silent. Batman had arranged their schedules, and, _conveniently_ they had all the same classes together. From homeroom they went to English, then history. This was followed by gym (the only time that Megan would be separate from Desmond and Conner) which was followed by a lunch period. The day finished off with Spanish (which none of them really cared about, but the school required a foreign language class) Geometry, and finally, Biology. The Biology class was two periods, and every day (except Wednesdays, their lab days) this would end up being a free period. Batman wanted to get them back to Mount Justice as soon as possible. This didn't seem like it would be the case, however, if Megan really did join the cheerleaders. This was, currently, the topic of conversation in the back of the homeroom.

"Megan," whispered Desmond. "You're not seriously going to join the cheerleading team, are you?" Conner looked at their Martian friend expectantly. Megan avoided their gazes.

"Uh… yeah, I was thinking about it," she mumbled. "If I made the team, that is. Why, don't you think I should?" The way she said it made Desmond feel like one wrong word could set her off on a crying spree. Apparently this meant a lot to her. Desmond was going to respond, but Conner saved him the trouble.

"Of course you should," he said. Desmond and Conner both agreed she shouldn't, but Conner didn't want to tell her that. "But it might really eat into your time with…" he looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. "With Young Justice." Megan looked like she was weighing the options out in her head. Then she smacked herself in the forehead.

"Hello, Megan!" she chimed. Her usual (somewhat annoying) catchphrase. "I'll join the team, and if you guys need me, I'll call in sick or something. They'll never know." Conner looked like he had an argument, but Desmond decided that Megan was right.

"Yeah," he mused. "That would work. I'm proud of you, Miss M, you're starting to sound more like a regular student every minute." She smiled, and returned her attention to the front of the class."

XxXxX

English went by without a hitch. In a surprising turn of events, the Kryptonian and the Martian seemed to know a lot more about the English language than the human. In Desmond's defense, one had been studying earth language for her whole life, and the other had been force fed rapid fire information. After English, the three friends stood in the hallway where the locker rooms were situated. There were two gyms, each accessible through their respective locker room. The friends leaned in close.

"Okay," he said. "I know you know a lot about Earth culture, but they might do some things in your class you aren't familiar with. I think it's best if you make a mental link for the three of us now, just in case." She nodded, and in a moment, thought a quick message to the boys.

_Have fun,_ she messaged, the ran off to her locker room. Desmond patted Conner on the shoulder.

"Come on big guy," he said, as they walked to their locker room. "Let's get changed." The locker room was hot and sweaty, and considering it was full of dudes, that was not a good thing. Conner and Desmond made sure to get lockers directly next to each other, and quickly changed into their gym clothes. Conner was less than happy to change out of his usual outfit, but Desmond convinced him it was necessary. Once they were changed, they walked into the large gymnasium that they would spend the majority of their gym classes in. After a few "get to know you" activities (which Conner was just _thrilled_ about) they began their first game. Dodge ball.

"Alright, bud," Desmond whispered to Conner, who had been staring at one of the red rubber balls for a while, wondering what to do with it. "You'll want to throw that at the other side. Not too hard though, so we don't give away your powers. If they hit you, you're out. If that happens, someone will need to catch a ball thrown at them, and then you can get back in. If they catch one of the balls you throw, you're out. If you catch one of _their_ balls, they're out, and you pick someone on our team to being back in. Got it?" Conner nodded, just as Megan's voice appeared in their heads.

_Hey Des,_ she started. _Can you explain dodge ball?_ Desmond groaned, and was about to explain, when Conner cut him off.

_Throw balls, catch balls, just don't get hit,_ he said. Desmond looked at him, and he grinned. "Got it, right?" he asked. Desmond nodded.

_Couldn't have said it better myself,_ he confirmed to M'gann. She thanked the boys, and they were separate again. The coach blew his whistle, and the game began. Desmond and Conner were good; dodging a ball here and there. Suddenly, a ball sailed through the air, right at Conner's head. _Conner!_ Desmond mentally alerted him. He spun, grabbed the ball, and flung it across the room. it hit another boy square in the stomach, sending him to the ground. Conner had gotten two people out in less than fifteen seconds. He turned to Desmond and smiled cheekily.

"I like this game."

_So wasn't that fun? Soon they'll get back to the action, but I really wanted to throw that in there. I hope you enjoyed it. Also, a special thanks to all of you that have read this and the few that have followed it or added it to your favorites. Keep reading!_


	7. (Killer) Crocodile Tears

_Author's Note: Wow, I've taken some time off. There's been a lot going on. Sorry if anyone was disappointed. Something else that'll be (somewhat) disappointing: this chapter isn't super long. Sorry. It also has a cliffhanger. I could have made one jumbo-chapter, but I wanted to publish something, so I figured I'd split it up. Thanks to those who've read so far, and those who checked for updates these past few days!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, yadda yadda yadda, only own Desmond, blah blah blah, you get the gist of it.**

Chapter Seven

(Killer) Crocodile Tears

After Megan's cheerleading tryouts were a huge success, the three friends returned to Mount Justice. They Zeta-Beamed in, still discussing the day's classes and activities.

"_You_ think Biology is hard?" demanded Miss Martian. "I don't even have human anatomy! You and Conner at least have that advantage." Desmond waved her away.

"Human or not, that class is going to kill me," he exaggerated. "I'm telling you, Biology is my Kryptonite. Uh, no pun intended." Superboy gave him a gentle punch to the shoulder. It was only after their chatter died down that they realized they were being watched. They weren't the only ones in the Mission Room. Standing in line, facing the large holographic computer, were Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis (all in uniform) and Red Tornado. Batman (whose face was projected on the screen) was looking at the three new arrivals, as well.

"Glad you decided to join us," he mumbled. "You were supposed to be out of school an hour ago." Desmond pointed at M'gann accusingly.

"Miss M went to cheerleading tryouts!" he said. She shot him a look, and sheepishly turned to face the team, who were glaring at her accusingly. Then she explained her plans of calling in sick for Young Justice related instances, and after a while of convincing, the team finally let it rest.

"So," said Superboy. "Why exactly are you all gathered here?" The team looked to the holographic image of Batman, and waited for him to explain.

"There's been a breakout," he started. Megan gasped quietly. "Several notorious Arkham inmates have gotten back to Gotham. Normally this would be something Robin and I could handle, but I've decided it would be better to split the teams up. Robin will join me, going after the Joker, followed by the Penguin. I don't feel the rest of you are ready for them yet. Aqualad's off in Taipei, so the other two teams will be uneven." Miss Martian interrupted the Bat.'

"Whys is Aqualad in Taipei?" she questioned.

"He was called in for extra protection at the peace summit, let's leave it at that," Batman said. "Now, as I was saying, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Kid Flash will be going after Hush, and Artemis and Desmond will chase down Killer Croc. I'll send the details to your communicators, so you'll have the locations your respective villains should be in. Subdue them, then call the police. They will escort them back to Arkham. Are we clear?" The team nodded. "Good. Oh, and Desmond," the new hero raised his head to stare more clearly at the screen. "I've taken the liberty of getting you a suit. It's on your bed. Try not to get it destroyed, will you? Batman out." The screen shut off, and six communicators beeped simultaneously, all receiving their respective info. Several team members looked at Desmond expectantly.

"Well…" said Wally at last. "Go try it on!"

Desmond nodded, and walked off to his room. The entire team, aside from Red Tornado, followed him. Just as they reached his living space, Desmond walked in, and shut the door. He was in there for a few minutes, leaving the rest of the team to wait impatiently in the hallway. Then the door slid open, and Desmond revealed his costume. Shifter's new outfit was primarily golden, with purple starting from the armpits, leading to the waist. His pants were also gold, held up with a black and purple utility belt. The outfit had come with a black mask, much like Robin's. He wore combat boots the same shade of deep purple and black fingerless gloves. When he revealed this ensemble to the team, they all nodded their approval, Wally even whistling.

"You guys think it's good?" asked Desmond, met once again with nods. "I think it's a bit, I don't know, flashy. What if we're trying to be stealthy?" Several team members rolled their eyes. Artemis walked forward, and tapped Desmond on the chest. Before his eyes, the costume changed colors. The gold was replaced with a slate gray, and the purple became an even darker shade, nearly black. Desmond's eyes nodded behind his mask. "That was awesome," he said, pressing his chest a few more times to test it out for himself. Just then, Red Tornado floated into the hallway.

"Hello children," his monotone voice said. "Excellent uniform, Desmond. I've just added you to the Zeta-Beam designations. You will be B08." With that, he floated away. There was a moment of silence, and then Robin spoke up.

"Alright guys," he started. "We'll all Zeta-Beam to Gotham together. We'll split up from there. I know we're on separate missions, l but stay in touch. M'gann will provide a psychic link. If you need backup, just call." The team exchanged some nods, and started heading to the Zeta-Beams. Desmond quickly started to walk beside Artemis.

"Guess we're partners for this mission, huh?" He said. She smiled slightly, and nodded. "So, once we get to Gotham, where are we headed?" Artemis smirked, and showed Desmond her communicator.

"Underneath the Diamond District," Artemis said disdainfully. "In the sewers."

XxXxX

Once the team had reached the alleyway in Gotham where the Zeta-Beam spit them out, they wished each other luck, and split up. Robin immediately disappeared into the shadows, most likely meeting with the Bat somewhere. KF, Superboy, and Miss Martian headed north, toward the Bowery, and Artemis and Desmond went east, towards the Diamond District. They walked through the shadows, stealth mode engaged, not saying a word. They darted from alley to alley, not daring to be seen by any civilians. Why Batman had sent them out in the middle of the day was beyond Desmond; maybe this matter was too pressing to ignore. Either way, they made do with what they had to. Once they were far enough in the Diamond District, the friends began their search for a manhole. The search didn't last long, Artemis spotting one in less than two minutes. They couldn't pry it open, because of how it was positioned in the ground, so Desmond phased through the ground, and pushed it from within the tunnel. Artemis dropped in, and they were off.

The two tread carefully, avoiding sewage and rat droppings. Artemis always had her bow at the ready. The sewers were cramped, to say the least. At some points the two friends had to literally press together to squeeze through a tight space. Soon, however, they entered a cavernous room. There were several pipes above them, spewing waste into a large pool below them. With a signal from Desmond, Artemis used her communicator to scan for life in the room. They were alone, so they relaxed a bit. The roar of the water above their heads was loud, but they could hear each other if they spoke. It was Desmond who started their conversation.

"So, what're the stats on this Killer Croc guy?" he asked. "I mean, I've seen news reports and stuff, about how he was a sideshow freak turned murderer. But is that for real?" Artemis shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she said. "I don't spend a lot of time in Gotham, and even less with Batman's enemies. That's Robin's jurisdiction."

"Right, you're probably in Star City with your uncle most of the time," Desmond thought aloud. "Well, should we be worried? I mean, do you think we can take this guy?" Artemis smirked.

"Of course," she said. "With my brains and your… other stuff…" She smiled cheekily. Desmond crossed his arms good naturedly.

"Well excuse me, little miss know-it-all," he taunted back. "I didn't realize we were arguing here." He fixed her with a hard gaze, which she matched, but they both quickly dissolved into grins. They chuckled to themselves for a second, before regaining their composure. Suddenly there was a loud clanking sound above them. The heroes readied themselves: Artemis drawing her bow, and Desmond hardening himself. There was a sound like bones scraping on metal, and a figure stepped into view. But it was no normal figure, but the form of an eight foot tall crocodile man.

"Killer Croc," Artemis whispered. The villain laughed, which sounded like putting marbles in the garbage disposal.

"So," he said. His voice sounded like a cross between a cry in anguish, and the roar of a crocodile. "I go through all the trouble to break out of that goddamned asylum, and the Bat is a no-show. Who are you anyway?" Desmond was too stunned to speak. This monstrosity was huge, needing to duck his head slightly to stand in the cavern. It didn't help that Desmond had to look up to the platform Croc was standing on. He was covered head to toe with scales, varying in colors, but all some sort of green. When he opened his mouth, he showed rows of razor-sharp teeth. His yellow eyes squinted at the two heroes. It was Artemis who spoke first.

"Artemis," she said, readying her bow. "You know, goddess of the hunt? And I think I'm gonna hunt myself some new lizard skin boots." With that, she released the arrow, and it sailed through the air. Killer Croc dodged it easily, but it exploded behind him, making the monster stagger.

"Nice try, girly," he said. He turned and walked to near where the arrow had landed. "Now it's my turn!" There was the sound of rusty metal grinding, and all of the sudden the water flowing out of the pipes began coming out faster and faster. In a matter of seconds it was up to Desmond and Artemis' knees. Killer Croc walked back into view. "Have a nice swim!" He cackled to himself, and turned to walk away, leaving the heroes to fend for themselves in water now up to their chests.

"We'll be fine," Desmond assured her, though he wasn't sounding too confident. "When the water gets high enough, we'll swim to where he left from. He wouldn't let everywhere flood, or else he wouldn't get away." Just then there was a small explosion from where Killer Croc had previously been, and the sound of the tunnel collapsing. Artemis shot Desmond a look, starting to need to tread water.

"You just _HAD_ to say something, didn't you?" she snarled. Desmond did an underwater shrug, and the two swam close together. "We've got to find a way out of here," Artemis said, stating the obvious. They scanned the room, looking for an opening, but found none. The water had risen well past the ground now, and the heroes were on level with the platform Killer Croc had been standing on. Desmond peered past the rubble from the collapse he had caused, and saw that Croc had left through a metal door. It looked sturdy, but was blocked off completely by the rubble. Just as he was formulating a plan, Artemis shouted, "Deep breath!" and they were submerged. The water stung in Desmond's eyes, and he tried not to think about what exactly he was swimming in. Artemis started pounding the ceiling in vain. Desmond quickly glanced again at the blocked off door, and then an idea struck.

_Follow me_, he thought to Artemis, making use of M'gann's mental link. _I've got an idea_. He motioned to the blocked off door. Artemis furrowed her brow, but Desmond motioned again. They were quickly running out of air, so Artemis didn't argue. They swam over to the rubble, and Desmond beckoned her closer. She swam directly next to him, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. She made a gurgling sound in confusion.

_What're you—_ She thought, but then it was cut off. Desmond took a quick glance that bubbles were slowly rolling out of her nose.

_ Artemis!_ He shouted in his head. Kicking hard, and paddling with one hand, he swam straight for the rubble. At this point, Desmond was more than a little light headed, and his vision was starting to blur. He reached the rubble, and quickly lowered his density. He passed through, and, much to his relief, so did Artemis. He quickly passed through the locked door, and collapsed on the dry floor. Taking a few heaving breaths, he regained his normal breathing, then went to attend to Artemis. "Okay, how does this work again?" he muttered to himself, trying to remember the short class he'd taken once on CPR. He tilted her head back, and checked to see if she was breathing. Barely. He put his hands on her chest, and began the compressions. "One, two, three…" he started the countdown. "…thirteen, fourteen, fifteen." He said, reaching the conclusion. Tilting his teammate's head back again, he put his lips to hers. Pinching her nose shut, he breathed air into her lungs slowly. Once, twice, and then checked if she was breathing again. Better than before, but still not good. He did the compressions again. Upon reaching fifteen, he put his mouth to hers, and blew. Checked once more: almost there. He started the compressions again. "One, two three, fo—" Just then, Artemis sputtered, expelling water from her mouth, a bit splashing on Desmond's face. Desmond quickly made sure she was okay. "Take it slow, deep breaths." He instructed. She slowly started breathing normally, and Desmond, upon listening to her heartbeat, realized that was regular as well.

"Th-thanks," she panted. "You saved me." She smiled, and then coughed up a little more water. Desmond clapped her on the back gently, trying to help get the water out.

"Don't mention it," he said. "You would've done the same for me." She nodded, and looked to the door that Desmond had phased them through. There was a small window on it, through which she could see a room flooded with brown water.

"How did you know it would work?" she asked. "Phasing us through the door like that. How'd you know that you could bring me through too?" Desmond looked at the door as well, and chuckled.

"Lucky guess," he said. "I figured either you would come with me, or get stuck in the middle of the rubble." She punched him in the arm.

"You prick!" she exclaimed, scowling at him. But after a moment, her stern look dissolved to a smile. "But thanks again." He waved a hand, signifying it was no big deal.

"Worry about thanking me later," he said. "For now, we need to get Killer Croc."

_Alright, some action. I tried to come back with something good. You can expect the follow up to this one pretty soon (tomorrow, perhaps?) I've already written some of it, but, as I said, decided to split up the jumbo-chapter. Thank you for reading, reviewing, and following!_


	8. Steve Irwin Would be Proud

_Author's Note: Okay, here's the second part of the giant chapter. I knew I'd have it up soon. This'll wrap up the Killer Croc fiasco. Please enjoy, review, and favorite!_

**Disclaimer: None of these things are mine, excluding Des, of course.**

Chapter Eight

"Steve Irwin Would be Proud"

Artemis and Desmond found a path leading down from the room they were in back to a network of sewer tunnels. Artemis suggested they split up, and cover more ground, but Desmond thought otherwise. "What if you get in another situation like back there?" he pointed out. "I might not get there in time." Artemis crossed her arms defiantly.

"I can take care of myself," she said. "Do I need to remind you I've been doing the hero thing longer than you?" Desmond scoffed.

"By a few weeks," he retorted. "And do _I_ need to remind _you_ that I'm the only one here that can phase through walls?" She started to argue, but thought better of it, and the two stuck together as they traversed the dank tunnels. It smelled worse in this room than it had in the other, mixing the smells of sewage and rotting flesh. Desmond really didn't want to find out where the smell was coming from. It didn't help that the two friends were sopping wet, either, their feet squelching with every step. They had deactivated the stealth function in their suits, seeing as Croc already knew they were there. Yeah, he thought they were dead, but he was probably still on guard. Soon the two reached a crossroads, with two tunnels splitting off in completely opposite directions.

"Which one?" asked Artemis. Desmond thought for a moment. Both were dark, and smelled awful. But there was something different about the one on the left. A lack of rust. The one on the right was coated in rust all the way around, but the left one was lacking the brown material around the bottom. Looking closer, Desmond realized it wasn't just one spot missing rust, but the whole bottom section. There were thin lines in the rust that had previously been there, indicating a trail. Desmond pointed down the tunnel on the left.

"This way," he said. He pointed to the trail left by Killer Croc. "Croc drags his feet." She nodded, and the two began their trek through the tunnel. After walking for a while they found themselves in a cavernous room, on the edge of a ledge. Scanning the wide open area, Desmond spotted another ledge opposite them, but much lower down.

"Look," pointed Artemis at the ledge Desmond had noticed. Desmond followed her finger, and saw what she was pointing at. There was a large indent on the other side, vaguely in the shape of two large feet. "Croc?" she asked.

"Croc," Desmond reaffirmed. "Can you shoot a zip line across?" he asked. She nodded, and pulled an arrow out of her quiver. She shot the arrow, and it flew onto the other side. It stuck into a wall above the landing, and three tiny metal claws burrowed themselves into the wall, so the line would hold. Artemis pulled two portable pulleys out of her quiver, and handed one to Desmond.

"Ladies first," she joked, and Desmond rolled his eyes. He attached the pulley to the line, and quickly zipped across to the other side. Artemis followed suit, and then cut the line down. They crossed the landing, finding another metal door. It opened with a squeal, and the two walked in. The room was larger than the previous one, but didn't have any of the rushing sewer water. There was, however, a large pump-like mechanism in the middle of the room, probably purifying the sewage or something.

"Do you think he's in here?" Desmond whispered, getting ready to shift his density. Artemis shrugged, but pulled her bow out none the less.

"Maybe," she whispered back. "But I'm not taking any chances. Be ready." She pulled out an arrow, and cocked it into place on the bow. The two took a few tentative steps forward, and scanned the area. Artemis made a hand signal, telling Desmond to look in the left side of the room while she took the right. Desmond nodded, and the two split up. Desmond walked over to his designated side, keeping his hands balled as fists the whole time. The room was dimly lit by a few large light bulbs above their heads, but the far reaches of the area were covered in the shadows of the pump. Desmond scanned the area, and found nothing of interest, Croc or otherwise. He turned to tell Artemis, when there was a growl from above him. He looked just in time to see Killer Croc jump out from a hidden location, slash the wires holding the lights up, and return to the shadows. The lights fell to the floor, shattered, and the room was enveloped in darkness.

"Artemis?" shouted Desmond, making himself more dense, ready for a fight. There was the sound of an arrow being shot, followed by it hitting against a wall and falling to the floor.

"Yeah, I'm here," she shouted back. "Croc cut the lights. Can you meet me in the middle?" Desmond went to move, but was suddenly knocked in the face by something large and hard. He was taken off guard, and lost his balance. Even with his density and super strength, he was still flung into a wall, falling to the ground after the impact. "Desmond?" said Artemis worriedly. Desmond stood and rubbed the back of his head. There would be a bruise there within the hour.

"I'm okay," he assured her. "Be careful, Croc is around here somewhere. For a big guy, he sure can sneak around when he wants to." Suddenly Artemis released a cry of pain, and there was the sound of her body hitting the floor. "Artemis?" Desmond shouted. No response. He ran to where her cry had come from, but bumped into something. He raised his density, and punched out. There was a metal clang, and Desmond realized he'd run into the pump. Feeling his way around the metal contraption, he moved to where he'd heard Artemis scream.

"I'm… I'm here," she groaned. "He got me good. Smacked me into the pump." Desmond followed the sound of her voice, and found her lying on the floor. He helped her to her feet.

"Wish we could see," Desmond said. There was the sound of Artemis pulling an arrow out of her quiver. "How will you shoot him? You have no idea where he is?"

"It's not for him," Artemis whispered. She shot the arrow, and there was a metal clang as it hit the pump. The noise of the three claws digging into the metal rang out, and then it was silent for a moment. Then the arrow started emitting a faint green glow, which grew larger every second. Desmond saw there was a light bulb on the back of the arrow.

"Clever," he said. "Now, let's find this monster." Suddenly there was a small growl from above, and as the heroes looked up, Croc dropped down right in front of them.

"Found me," he snarled. He reeled back a punch, but this time Desmond was ready. He caught Croc's fist, and pushed it back. The lizard, taken by surprise at the heroes sudden feat of strength, staggered backwards a few steps. Artemis took her chance, and shot an arrow at Croc. It hit him in the stomach, and a small explosion erupted where it had impacted. Croc fell to the ground, but quickly got back up.

"Come on, Croc," said Desmond tauntingly. "Let's dance." Croc roared, and charged the boy. He punched out, but Desmond ducked and dodged it. He punched out, but it was Croc's turn to grab an assailant's attack. He gripped Desmond's fist, digging his nails into Desmond's wrist. Des released a grunt of pain. He wasn't completely invulnerable, after all, so the nails hurt. Desmond changed his tactic, and lowered his density dramatically. Croc lost his stance, and fell through the boy. Desmond raised his density once more, and delivered a sharp kick to Croc's back. The villain flew forward, slamming face first into a wall. Artemis shot a few arrows into his back, all exploding on impact. Croc groaned, and jumped back from the wall. He landed behind Desmond, and the hero had just enough time to turn around when he was back-handed by Croc. It sent him flying, and he crashed to the ground, leaving an indent in the concrete. Artemis ran up, and jumped on top of Croc's neck. She wailed on his head, knees wrapped around his neck. He grunted as she hit him in the eye, making him squint. Desmond, getting back up, saw his chance. He charge the lizard, Artemis jumping off just in time. Desmond decked the villain with his shoulder, and rammed him into the metal pump in the center of the room.

"GAH!" shouted Croc, his back slamming into the metal. Desmond pulled away slightly, and began pummeling the monster in his stomach and chest. With each hit Desmond's knuckles got bloodier and bloodier, partially from cuts on Croc's stomach, and partially from Desmond's hands hitting the thick scales. Croc released an agonized cry, and slumped down. Desmond quickly stopped beating on the lizard, and threw him away from the metal contraption. Artemis quickly fired an arrow, which, upon impact with Croc's scaly hide, erupted into a thick-woven net that encased the villain. Croc wiggled a little, trying to escape.

"Don't bother, Croc," Artemis said. "They're reinforced with titanium. An elephant couldn't break through those strings." Croc didn't heed her advice, and continued his wiggling. Artemis gave Desmond a look, and he shrugged. Artemis smiled, walked over to the great lizard, and delivered a swift kick to his face. He stopped his wiggling after that.

"I'll contact the others," said Desmond. Artemis nodded, and Desmond accessed the mental link. _Is anyone else done with their mission? We bagged Croc._ There was a moment of silence, then someone responded.

_Little busy right now,_ Robin grunted telepathically. _Joker's brought friends. I think KF, Superboy and Miss Mare done._ Mss Martian picked up the conversation from there.

_Yeah, we're done,_ she thought to Desmond. _Hush is back at Arkham. We can meet you at your location in fifteen minutes._ Desmond sighed in relief.

_Great,_ he said. _Bring the police, alright? We've got to get this freak back where he belongs._ Megan confirmed that they'd bring the cops, and cut off the mental link. Desmond returned to Artemis, who was keeping a watchful eye on Killer Croc. "Megan, Conner, and Wally will be here in fifteen," he told her. She nodded.

"Good," she said, resting a boot on Croc's chest. "The sooner we get his scaly hide back to Arkham, the better." Desmond nodded in agreement, and they walked over to the metal pump to inspect the damage. The pump had started pumping more erratically, and there was man-shaped dent in the side of it where Desmond had been pummeling Croc.

"Think they'll bill us for this?" he asked Artemis. She giggled, and sat upon the mechanism. Desmond sat with her, and the two waited for their team to show up. Artemis pulled something out of her quiver, and stuck it into her ear. "Is that a different kind of earpiece?" Desmond asked her. She shook her head.

"Nope," she pulled out an iPod from her quiver as well. "I made a playlist last night." Desmond looked at her incredulously.

"You bring your iPod on mission?" he asked. She nodded.

"Everyone does," she said. "Robin has a stakeout mix. It's really good, you should give it a listen some time." Desmond fixed her with a look that said 'are you being serious right now?' She sighed, and offered her second ear bud to Desmond. "It's better than silence, right?" Desmond, after a moment, shrugged and took the ear bud, placing it in his ear.

"You like Matchbox Twenty?" he asked her. She shrugged.

"Don't most people?" He smiled and nodded, the song 3 AM playing in his left ear.

After a while of listening and chatting, the metal door before them swung open. In walked Miss Martian, followed by Superboy and Kid Flash. They took one look at Killer Croc, tied up in a net like a big game animal, and nodded in approval. Wally walked forward, and poked Croc in the back. The lizard wiggled around, making Kid Flash jump.

"I'm caught in a net, not dead you idiot," snarled Croc. Wally backed off slightly, then looked to Desmond and Artemis.

"Dudes, bagging Killer Croc by yourselves," he said with a slight whistle. "Steve Irwin would be proud." The group laughed as Killer Croc growled and thrashed around in vain.

"Let's get him back to Arkham, and head back to the Cave," said Desmond, standing with Artemis. "I could use a nice shower." Kid Flash sniffed the air, and then pinched his nose. He waved a hand in front of his face.

"You guys _reek!_" he exclaimed. "What, were you swimming in the sewage or something?" Artemis and Desmond exchanged a look, and started laughing. Wally looked really confused.

"Yeah, something like that," said Artemis, as the police arrived to take Killer Croc back to Arkham Asylum.

_Alright, so Desmond did pretty well for himself on his first legitimate mission, huh? Croc will be behind bars for a while, but that doesn't mean they won't see him again… But for now, we'll see what the future holds next time. Keep reading please!_


	9. Bonding Time

_Author's note: Okay, again, sorry for the delay. It might be like this from now on. But I hope you'll like this one a lot, because I really enjoyed writing it. It'll give some insight into Desmond's mysterious past for those who've been wondering about it since "Some Light Sleuthing." Please enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: None of the things in this story are mine, aside from Desmond, of course.**

Chapter Nine

Bonding Time

The team returned to Mount Justice, where Artemis and Desmond showered off (separately, of course) and changed into civilian clothes like their teammates. After that they settled in the living room. Kid Flash got a text message, read it, and groaned inwardly. "What is it?" asked Robin.

"My _mom_," Wally grimaced. "She reminded me I have homework. I keep telling her that heroes don't need to do homework, but _noooo_! 'You have a responsibility to your studies, Wally.' Anyway, I've got to go. Later guys." Without waiting for anyone to respond, he sped away. The team exchanged a few looks, and chuckled. Then Desmond realized something, and looked to Conner and Megan, who were watching TV.

"Guys…" he started. "We have homework, too, don't we?" The Kryptonian locked eyes with the Martian, and then they both locked eyes with the human. The three groaned in unison, and Artemis and Robin chuckled. Artemis got out of her chair.

"Well, I don't want to keep you guys from your homework," she said. "I'll get back to Star City." The team waved goodbye as Artemis walked out of the room.

"You gonna split to, Robin?" asked Conner. The boy wonder shook his head, and reclined on his own couch.

"Nah," he drew out. "I think I'll stick around. Maybe swim a few laps in the pool. Plus, if you guys need help with anything, just let me know."

"We're two years older than you," said Desmond. "Why would you know the answer to a problem if we didn't?" Robin fixed Desmond with a weird look.

"Uh, have you _met_ me?" He asked. The two shared a laugh, and M'gann stood up, left the room, and returned shortly with their backpacks levitating behind them. She dropped Desmond's next to his chair, and floated hers and Superboy's to their couch. She clicked off the TV, and poked Superboy in the stomach to get his books out. Robin sat up, said he was going to the pool, and left his teammates to the toughest challenge they'd faced yet.

XxXxX

Two hours later, Desmond slammed his Biology book shut. Conner and Megan looked up, alarmed at the sudden outburst of noise. "What?" asked Conner irritably.

"I can't take it anymore!" Desmond exclaimed, standing up, and knocking his papers everywhere in the process. "If I need to write out the steps of the nitrogen cycle one more time, I swear to god I'll punch a hole through the TV!" M'gann and Conner exchanged a look, and M'gann walked over to Desmond.

"Hey buddy," she said calmingly. "You've had a long day. Maybe you want to lie down or something?" Desmond glared at her a moment, but it quickly turned into a grin.

"Guys," he assured them. "I'm not really angry. Just kind of annoyed, that's all. I was exaggerating, you know. But seriously though, I am done for the night." Conner shook his head.

"We've been in school one day, and you're already not doing your homework?" he asked. Desmond tossed a couch cushion at Superboy's head.

"I'll do it," he said. "In the morning, during breakfast. No biggie," He glanced at the clock on the wall, which told him it was ten thirty. "But right now, I'm going to bed. I suggest you do too." He gestured at the clock so the others would look to it, and walked out the door towards his bedroom. "Good night!" he called over his shoulder. Desmond strode to his bedroom, and pulled off his clothes. Wearing only his boxers, Desmond crawled under his bed sheets. He was asleep in less than fifteen minutes. Little did he know, he was in for a rude awakening.

XxXxX

Desmond stirred, the soft buzzing sound in his ear growing steadily louder and louder. He moved to shut off his alarm, and found he couldn't. Not only could he not turn off the alarm, he couldn't move at all. Now he was wide awake: his eyes widened to study his new surroundings. He was tied to a chair, with thick ropes surrounding his entire body. The room he was in was dimly lit by a faint yellow light hanging above him. There was a cracked mirror in one corner, and a door directly in front of him. He looked around for a captor, but couldn't see one in the lack of light.

"I don't know who you are, or why you've done this," he called out to no one. "But I'm about to pass through this chair like it's made of air. Then, I'm going to find you." Desmond was about to lower his density, when a voice from behind him spoke up.

"I wouldn't do that," it said. The speaker, a man, had an eloquent sounding voice, but it masked a deep anger. "I've rigged an explosive to the seat of your chair. If there's any change in the weight applied to it, be it more or less, the explosive will go off. So I suggest you sit tight, and let me say what I want to say." The man walked around Desmond's back, signified by the sound of footsteps. Desmond caught a quick flash of a green cloak in the mirror across from him.

"Well," said Desmond, realizing his only option was to listen to his captor. "What exactly is it you want to say?" The man walked up to Desmond's back, and rested a hand on his shoulder gently, most likely being careful not to set off the explosive by accident.

"I want to extend to you an invitation, dear boy," it said. Desmond could recognize the voice, but couldn't connect it to a face or name. But he _did_ have memories of this voice. Bad memories. "Come with me. We'll leave this place, with a new partnership forged, and old bonds reformed." As soon as he said it, Desmond knew who he was dealing with.

"How've you been, Dad?" asked Desmond. The figure behind him, Desmond's father, laughed a hearty and deep laugh. It reeked of evil.

"So you _do_ remember your dear, old father," the man said. "And you still acknowledge me as your father, I see. But you haven't told your new friends, I'm sure." Desmond tensed up in his chair.

"If you harm them—" he started.

"I have not touched any of your friends," the man assured him. "And I will keep it that way, no matter what choice you make." Desmond smirked.

"You know my choice," he spat. Release me, and let me get back to Mount Justice. If you're lucky, I won't tip Batman off about this little meeting." Desmond's father chuckled loudly.

"You think it matters to me whether the Dark Knight comes looking for me or not. I will evade him, as I always have. Now, why not think over my offer again?" Desmond turned his neck, and bit the hand on his shoulder. The man reeled back and hissed. Storming around Desmond, he moved to face the captive boy. "Insolent child!" he shouted, and smacked Desmond with the back off his hand. A large ring on his finger left a small gash on Desmond's cheek, but he smiled despite the blood dribbling down his face.

"You look good, dad," Desmond said, quickly blinking away a few involuntary tears. "What is it now, seven hundred and one? Two?" To any other father, this would make no sense. But to Desmond's father, it was a clever retort. But Ra's al Ghul was not impressed.

"You mock what you cannot attain," Ra's barked. "The mystical Lazarus Pit is not to be trifled with. You disgrace the name of al Ghul when you use such rude words." Desmond shuffled uncomfortably in his chair.

"I go by Marigold now," he said. "Desmond Marigold. I left 'al Ghul' with the rest of my connections to you, and that _whore_ who gave birth to me." Ra's chuckled again.

"I do so enjoy your spite, my boy," he said, stroking his brown and white beard. "Your mother was a fine woman. And for you, if you'd chosen to join me years ago we wouldn't be in this situation. But you've wasted the last seven years of your life running away from the al Ghul family. I've missed you, son." He reached forward, moving like he wanted to embrace his captive son. Desmond spat on the ground near his father's brown shoes. Ra's al Ghul recoiled, and snarled at his son.

"Bite me," growled Desmond. He shook his chair back and forth slightly. "Now let me out of here. I've told you my answer, and I won't change it." Ra's smirked, and turned to the wall behind Desmond. He pulled a small switch from out of his pocket, and flipped it. There was the sound of metal sliding against metal, followed by footsteps. They sounded like high heels. Desmond craned his neck looking for a better view, but realized his limited mobility meant he had to wait for the new visitor to walk into his direct line of sight to find out who it was. Luckily for Desmond, the wait was short. Before him strode a girl, maybe mid twenties, with dark skin and brunette hair. She wore a green and black jumpsuit, and had a few knives strapped to her legs. Talia al Ghul, Desmond's half sister.

"Brother!" she exclaimed, rushing to hug Desmond.

"Do not touch him, Talia my dear," warned Ra's. "Touching him could set off an explosion that may kill us all. Proceed accordingly." With that, Desmond and Talia's father strode out of the same doorway that Talia had entered from. With the flick of a switch, the large metal door shut again. Talia leaned forward and kissed him once on each cheek. Desmond smiled warmly at his half sister's presence. Though he hated his father with a passion akin to Lex Luthor's hatred for the Man of Steel, Desmond was always attached to his sister, despite the age difference, and her occasional choice of morality.

"Desmond, it has been too long," she said. "How are you? Father has told me about your involvement with some new team. Of heroes, yes? Oh, I think it's wonderful!" Desmond shook his head quickly.

"Talia, now's not the time for this," Desmond said, trying to make her focus on the situation. "I need you to make father let me out of here. And then I need to warn my team." Talia bit her lip, looking conflicted.

"Desmond," she started slowly. "You know I can do no such thing. Father wouldn't hesitate to kill us both if I did. And after that, he would send his League of Shadows after the rest of your team. He'll let you go when he's ready." There was a moment of silence between the two, as Desmond realized she was right. Desmond so wished he could just phase out of the chair, but Ra's had said the slightest change in weight would set off the bomb. Desmond wouldn't have enough time to lower his density to the point where he was past injury before the bomb went off. Plus, he had Talia to think about. Suddenly she spoke up again. "Maybe… maybe you _should_ join father." Desmond's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"WHAT?!" he demanded of her. "Talia, you sound like a lunatic! Why would I ever, _ever_, join that madman? He wants to wipe out the JLA. I could never get behind him with a plan like that. _And _he abandoned me when I was little, lest you forget." Talia seemed deep in thought.

"Your powers…" she mused. "They're not from father, or your mother. And father does not have the ability to grant power on others. What you have is unique, and it would be beneficial for father to have you on his side. You could have a position among his shadows; a high ranking. And you would finally reconcile with our father. Oh, how I want us to be a real family." Desmond sneered at the idea.

"Talia, I love you," he said. "And I trust you with my life. But I know father is putting you up to this. And no matter what choice I make here, we'll never be a real family. That man outside may have helped conceive me, but he's _not_ my father. And he never will be, as far as I'm concerned. Now tell him I'm done here. I've made my decision. I'm staying with Young Justice." Talia stared at Desmond, and he watched a single tear roll down her cheek. She sniffed, and stood up.

"If you are certain," she said quietly. "Who am I to stop you? I will have father release you now." She walked away solemnly, and wrapped her knuckles on the wall. Desmond heard it slide open, heard Talia walk out, and heard it slide shut again. Desmond rocked back and forth slightly.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Get me out of here!" Suddenly there was a sounds like someone letting air out of a balloon, and a gas the color of vomit started filling up the room. Desmond coughed and coughed, then tried to stop breathing. But he eventually had to inhale, and the moment he did so, he began feeling light headed. Soon his vision was getting fuzzy. In a matter of seconds, he'd blacked out.

XxXxX

Desmond awoke with a start. He jumped up, his fists ready to strike the first person who came near him. Then he realized where he was: back in his room at Mount Justice. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. It was seven in the morning. He listened closely, and could hear the footsteps of Superboy as he hurried to be ready for school. Desmond relaxed, and moved to his wardrobe to get some clothes for school. He pulled on a shirt advertising the Metropolis Sharks (Desmond's favorite football team) and a pair of jeans. He went to leave his room, and just before shutting off the light, muttered to himself, "Good seeing you, dad."

_So, that one was slightly more serious than the others. I bet you didn't see that coming, though. Ra's al Ghul being Desmond's father? Yeah, it happened. Hey, when you're alive for over 700 years, you tend to "get around," if you know what I mean. Please continue reading, and thanks for your patients._


	10. Injustice

_Author's Note: I was sick today, and felt it was a good time to get some writing done. This one will be longer than usual, to make up for the past couple. Without further ado, chapter ten!_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Desmond.**

Chapter Ten

Injustice

Desmond managed to get through school, though his mind was on his meeting with Ra's all day. He tried not to think about it too much, for fear his thoughts would be picked up by Megan. When school ended, Conner and Desmond accompanied Megan to cheer practice. It was their standard routine; Megan would practice with the bumblebees, and the boys would chill out in the bleachers. Desmond would often make passing comments about the hottest cheerleaders, and tease Conner when he did not do the same (because of his feelings for Megan.) Today, however, Desmond was silent. He somberly sat, just watching the cheerleaders, not saying a word. Conner noticed Desmond's strange silence. "Hey man," he ventured. "You all right? You haven't even mentioned how good that Christie girl looks today." Desmond grinned. His friend knew him well. Desmond sighed.

"I'm alright, dude," he assured the Kryptonian. "Just got a lot on my mind. I can't wait to get back home, just relax for a while. No homework due tomorrow, since its Friday. Maybe I'll go for a swim." Desmond had been referring to Mount Justice as "home" for a few days now. Seeing as he'd spent half his life wandering around from town to town, fleeing the tyranny that was Ra's al Ghul, Mount Justice was really the best place he'd ever lived. It _was_ home.

Conner nodded. "Alright, as long as you're cool," he said, and turned back to face the cheerleaders. Desmond smiled again at Conner's genuine concern. That was another part of what made Mount Justice a home. M'gann and Superboy. They were genuine friends, nearly family at this point. Though it had only been a little over a week, he already felt closer to them, and the rest of the team, than his actual family. Talia excluded, of course.

When cheerleading practice was over, and the three teens returned to Mount Justice, Desmond was ready to unwind completely. First he'd watch some mind-numbing TV, just to get his mind off things. Then he'd go for a quick swim, which was always an easy way to clear his head. Then he'd see if anyone wanted to spar with him. For some reason he was hoping Artemis would. No specific reason, he just sort of wanted to hang with her. All these ideas were rushing through his head when they arrived in the Mission Room. It was that moment when all these ideas went out the window. Standing before them, much like yesterday, was the entire team, in full uniform. Batman stood there with them, looking stern.

"Will this be an everyday occurrence?" he asked impatiently. "M'gann, your cheerleading is interfering with team meetings." M'gann apologized, but Batman told her it was fine. There was clearly something on his mind. He turned to the holographic computer. "Computer, national news." The news flicked up, and a startled Cat Grant was reporting. There was a lot of background noise, but from the looks of things, giant plants were attacking all over the world. Desmond's eyes widened. The video showed several members of the League fighting the plants, but the damage was too great to call it a victory. Then the plants returned fire, thrashing buildings and vehicles.

"Should we get out there?" Robin asked, rearing to get going.

"No, the League will soon have the situation under control," said Batman. "That's not why I'm here. According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus Blockbuster formula to Kobra."

"Who combined it with Bane's venom to create Kobra-Venom," Kid Flash reminded him.

"Batman?" Artemis cut in. "Is it possible those plant-thingies are on Kobra-Venom too?" she asked.

"The vine's cellulous does contain trace amounts of a Kobra-Venom variant," he explained, while typing something in on a holographic keyboard.

"These cannot be coincidences," Aqualad spoke up. "Unrelated criminals are cooperating with one another worldwide."

"Exactly," said Batman. "It's now clear our enemies have formed some kind of… secret society of super villains. The attacks are only the beginning." Suddenly, the screen behind Batman became fuzzy and distorted. Then, out of nowhere, a face appeared. One that nearly anyone in the world would recognize. The Joker. He tapped the glass of the camera recording him, a wicked smile on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, menacingly. "We interrupt your regularly scheduled mayhem to bring you this important announcement." He backed away, and turned the camera to the side. "From the _In_justice League." He cackled. The camera now showed a group of other notorious villains. Desmond could see Atomic Skull, Black Adam, Wotan, Count Vertigo, Poison Ivy, and Ultra Humanite.

"We are responsible for the attacks on your cities," said Count Vertigo. "If you wish to save them, a ransom of ten billion American dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations. There is no time limit, but, the longer your governments wait…" Joker turned the camera back to himself.

"The more we get to have our… jollies…" He leaned into the monitor, cackling like a madman. Well, he _was_ a madman. Then the camera cut out. Batman put a hand to his earpiece.

"Roger that Aquaman," he said. "We'll prepare the ransom as a fallback. But it _won't _come to that." Robin backed up the footage to show all the members of the Injustice League again.

"There's your secret society," Kid Flash whispered.

"Not so secret anymore," said Artemis.

"I have a job for you," said Batman. "With the plants attacking so many locations simultaneously, there must be a central control system. Your mission is to destroy it."

"We'll be fighting them?" asked Desmond incredulously. "You think we're ready?" Batman nodded solemnly.

"Zatara has already discovered their location," Batman informed them. "You'll be headed to Louisiana. The coordinates are being sent to your communicators." The team nodded.

"We're on our way," said Aqualad. Without another word, the team ran off to M'gann's Bio-Ship.

XxXxX

The ship approached the swaps of Louisiana, and the team began formulating a plan. Desmond had changed in the back of the ship when they first took off. Aqualad, situated at the front of the ship, spoke up.

"We'll try to get in stealthily," he began. "M'gann will hold the Bioship's camouflage until we get near their base. At that point we'll most likely need to think on our feet." Desmond noticed a small duffel bag by Aqualad's feet.

"What's in the bag?" he asked the Atlantian curiously. Aqualad looked at the bag.

"Plan B," he said cryptically, and left it at that. Robin picked up the conversation from there.

"When we get above their base, we should—" Suddenly M'gann gasped. The team looked to her to see what was wrong.

"She's hurt," M'gann said, through barred teeth. The team looked to Artemis quizzically.

"I feel fine," the archer assured the others. M'gann shook her head.

"Not _her_," she explained. "The ship. It's like something's… interfering with her ability to stay in camouflage. She's trying but…" Just then something from outside hit the ship. Hard. It spiraled through the air, heading straight for the swap below them. The team screamed at M'gann tried to regain control, but to no avail. The ship crashed in the murky swap below. Just when it had touched down in the swampy waters, three or four giant vines shot up, and wrapped themselves around the ship. As if that wasn't bad enough, there was a sound coming from above them. The team looked to see Black Adam ripping a hole through the top of the ship. He shoved his face in, preparing for an attack. In retaliation, Superboy slugged him in the face, sending him flying. He may have been gone, but the damage was done from the vines. The ship was quickly filling with water, and the team panicked trying to escape. Robin and Artemis pulled small devices for breathing underwater out of their belts, and Desmond grabbed Kid Flash's shoulder, planning to phase the two of them out together.

"M'gann, we need to get out," Superboy reminded her. "Open a hatch!" M'gann hit herself in the forehead, and repeated her usual 'Hello Megan' catchphrase. The Bio-Ship created a small hole at the bottom, which Aqualad, Superboy, Robin, Miss Martian, and Artemis swam out of. Desmond and Kid Flash swam to the side of the ship nearest land, and phased through the wall. They came out the other side, and swam to meet the rest of the team on dry land. They crouched behind some trees, and watched in horror as the Bio-Ship was dragged into the murky water by the vines.

"She's in shock," M'gann said. "She'll need time to recover." Suddenly there was an incredible headache shared amongst the team, as everyone screamed in agony. Kid Flash looked up to see their assailant.

"Vertigo," he managed.

"_Count_ Vertigo, to you, peasant," said the regal villain. Superboy got up to fight the Count, but was quickly punched in the face by Black Adam, who returned out of nowhere. Aqualad quickly controlled the nearby water to attack Count Vertigo, who stumbled backwards.

_Robin, Miss Martian, disappear,_ he thought to them. _We will keep them busy. You two fulfill the mission objective._ Without another word/thought, they did as they were asked, and the rest of the team was left to fight the others. Superboy and Desmond quickly teamed up on Black Adam, while Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Artemis focused on Count Vertigo. Desmond lashed out at Adam, who dodged the fist, but wasn't quick enough to avoid Superboy's kick to his back. Adam was sent flying, but quickly regained his stance. He charged Superboy, who caught his fist, and the two entered a 'pushing match.' Desmond seized the opportunity to check on how the others were doing with Count Vertigo. He wasn't too pleased with what he saw. Kid Flash was in the mud, having fallen to one of Vertigo's blasts. Artemis was cocking another arrow, but just as she shot it Vertigo turned to her, and sent her to the ground as well. Aqualad swiped at him with water, which sent Vertigo to the ground himself, but he quickly got back up.

"Shifter!" called Superboy, causing Desmond to pay attention to his own battle. "A little help over here, huh?" Desmond saw that Adam was quickly getting the upper hand on the Kryptonian, so Desmond charged him. He collided with Adam, sending them both flying into a tree. They broke through the tree, and landed in the mud. Desmond took a few shots at Adam's chest, which he couldn't manage to block. Desmond felt he was finally getting the upper hand. Then Black Adam opened his mouth.

"SHAZAM!" he shouted. A blinding bolt of lightning came down from the sky, coming to give Adam his second wind. Not only did it supply its caller with more energy, but it struck Desmond in the process. The hero screamed in agony, and Adam flung him from his body. Desmond crashed into a large rock jutting out of the mud, and didn't get up. Superboy charged Adam again, but the Egyptian villain merely swatted him away. Then Adam jumped to where Desmond had landed, and stood over the boy.

"Puny mortal," Adam said menacingly. "You can never withstand the power of Black Adam!" He pulled back his leg, and Desmond had just enough time to lower his density before Black Adam kicked out. Passing through Desmond, Adam's foot hit the boulder. The rock instantly shattered. Desmond saw his chance, and phased through the ground. He moved behind Adam, and grabbed his ankle. Yanking hard, Desmond pulled Black Adam underneath the earth, leaving only his head above the ground. Desmond came out of the ground, now having the advantage. Superboy came running up to Desmond.

"The others are down, and Vertigo's coming this way," he said urgently. Desmond smiled wickedly.

"We'll take care of him in a second," Desmond said. "First I need to withstand the power of Black Adam." Desmond wound up his own kick, ready to deliver it to Adam's smug face. Then Adam pulled his secret weapon again.

"SHAZAM!" he shouted. Yet another bolt of lightning came down, striking both heroes in the process. This one was stronger than the last, and Desmond had just enough strength to get onto his knees before he blacked out completely.

XxXxX

When Desmond awoke, he was flying. Well, not really. He was in a cage, which was being carried by Black Adam, who was flying. The rest of the team awoke, to hear Wotan assuring Vertigo the cage was impenetrable.

"You are not the only one trained in the mystic arts, Wotan!" shouted Aqualad. The tattoos on his arms began to glow as he tried to force his way out of the cage. Suddenly an electric shock ran through his body, and he slumped down, defeated.

"Please, Atlantian," said Wotan. "Do not pretend you are in my league." The cage neared some sort of large dome. There was a giant plant growing out of the top.

"That must be their base," Artemis whispered. Suddenly there was a sound above them, like a jet engine flying, and Wotan was knocked out of the sky. He fell into the waters below, and the cage dissolved. The team began falling to the ground, and it was not a small drop. Aqualad quickly commanded the water to come and meet him, giving him a safe landing. Superboy grabbed onto KF, and Desmond pulled Artemis onto his back. Superboy and Desmond landed with a thud, and let their passengers down onto the ground. Just as they got up from the ground, someone staggered into view. The giant silver gorilla known as Ultra Humanite, carrying a large black gun. Superboy huffed.

"I hate monkeys," he growled, and charged the gorilla. Desmond, Artemis, and Aqualad stood to help, but were interrupted by the presence of another villain, Poison Ivy. She positioned her plants menacingly. The three got in fighting stances, Aqualad and Artemis reaching for their weapons. Said weapons must have been taken by the Injustice league, however, because neither had them.

"Ugh," groaned Artemis. "I feel naked. And not in a fun way…" Ivy sent her plants to attack the three heroes. They dodged the strike, and Aqualad locked eyes with Artemis.

"Maneuver Seven," he stated. Desmond was confused, but Artemis knew exactly what the Atlantian meant. She ran to him, and he cupped his hands together. She jumped, landing a foot in his interlocked fingers. He thrust her upwards, and at Poison Ivy. Artemis delivered a kick that sent the villain to the ground. Desmond glanced in time to see Kid Flash get back-handed by Black Adam. Desmond sneered.

"Round two!" he exclaimed, charging Adam. The villain lunged at Desmond, who dodged the attack, and delivered a swift jab to Adam's rib cage. Adam grunted slightly, and retaliated with a strong punch to Desmond's face. The young hero flew backwards, and landed at Count Vertigo's feet. The Count rested a boot on Desmond's chest, and delivered a blast to him. Desmond couldn't move. Vertigo looked again at Black Adam.

"Where are Robin and the Martian?" he asked impatiently. Just that moment, they heard Poison Ivy cry out.

"My baby!" Everyone, including a downed Desmond, looked to the giant plant sprouting from the top of the dome. It was covered in tons of Robin's small explosive discs. Suddenly there was a high-pitched squealing sound, and the explosives went off, one after another, destroying the giant foliage. When the smoke cleared, Desmond saw Robin and Miss Martian, glaring smugly down at the villains.

"Timber," said Robin. Ivy screamed and shot six or seven vines at the two heroes. Miss Martian made quick work of them, telepathically ripping them to shreds. Then she was hit with some sort of beam. In walked the Joker, and Atomic Skull.

"Children?" asked the Joker, his voice barely audible. "Children foiled our plan?" Atomic Skull chased after Robin, who sprinted away quickly.

"Kill them all!" ordered Vertigo, who had let go of Desmond. Desmond quickly ran to join Aqualad and Artemis. Atomic Skull continued to blast Robin and Miss Martian, and Desmond saw Black Adam swoop in and grab Superboy from behind. Vertigo cornered Artemis, and blasted her, sending her to her knees. Desmond was first on the scene, knocking Vertigo to the ground, and helping Artemis back up. Just then, Wotan levitated into the sky.

"Enough!" he shouted. Robin threw a few explosives at him, but the sorcerer quickly encased himself in a magical shield. Then he sent lighting from his fingertips, striking each member of Young Justice, and sending them to the ground. It shot Miss Martian out of the sky, and she crashed near Aqualad, who was managing to keep the lightning at bay. He turned to her,

"Plan B," he said. She nodded, and suddenly the Bio-Ship appeared. It opened a small hole in the bottom, and out fell the duffel bag from before. It landed at Aqualad's feet. He unzipped it, and pulled out the solid gold Helmet of Fate. Wotan was shocked (no pun intended) and stopped his lightning.

"The Helmet of Fate," he murmured in awe. Kid Flash looked to Aqualad, and held up a hand trying to talk him out of it.

"No Aqualad, don't!" he shouted. Then he was smacked in the face by Black Adam, sending him flying. Desmond quickly smashed Adam in return. Then Aqualad placed the helmet on his head, and there was a flash of golden light. When it died down, Aqualad was gone. In his place was Doctor Fate, floating majestically above the water. He flew up to meet Wotan in the sky.

"Wotan," he said, in a voice that wasn't his own. "You are _mine_!" The two began a fight of magic, that to those below looked like a lightshow of gold and orange. The Joker took this as a chance to attack Robin, and the two enemies began a fight which mainly consisted of Joker trying to slice Robin with a switchblade. The fight between Fate and Wotan raged on. Miss Martian flew around to get a good strike at Ivy, But Vertigo blasted her out of the sky. Artemis quickly delivered a kick to his smug face. Kid Flash was dodging the giant fists of Ultra Humanite, and Desmond was having a go with Black Adam. Suddenly there was a cry from above, and everyone stopped their fighting to witness the figures of the Justice League float down to end the fighting. In the crowd, Batman spotted Zatara, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary, just to name a few. Batman stepped forward once they'd touched down.

"It's over," he said, addressing all the villains. After sharing a few glances, the Injustice League held up their hands.

"There will be another day," Count Vertigo muttered menacingly. Joker, however, was not so compliant.

"Another day?" he asked incredulously. "_Another day!?_ There won't be another day! For any of us!" He cackled maniacally, and wiggled his fingers, which were gloved with some sort of mechanical webs. Suddenly all the nearby vines erupted, and a sickly green gas came out of them.

"Joker Venom spores!" shouted Batman, covering his face. "Don't breathe!" The Joker laughed harder, but that was quickly ended when Batman punched him in the face. Doctor Fate floated into the sky.

"Fear not!" he proclaimed. A giant glowing ankh formed in front of him, and the Joker Toxin was sucked into it. It was quickly taken care of, and the ankh disappeared. "Fate has intervened!" Fate shouted. The League quickly detained the Injustice League, and flew them off to prison. Soon only Batman, Aquaman, Zatara, Captain Marvel and the team remained with Doctor Fate at the Injustice Leagues base.

"What were you thinking?" shouted Kid Flash at the rest of the team. "You let him put on the Helmet. Nabu… will _never_ release him now. Kaldur will be trapped inside Doctor Fate forever…" Then, without warning, Doctor Fate removed the Helmet, and Aqualad returned to the team. Kid Flash, confused, walked up to Kaldur. "Nabu let you go?" he asked, not believing his eyes. Aqualad smiled.

"He almost did not," the Atlantian explained. "But your friend Kent was most helpful. He says hello." KF grinned, and Batman interjected.

"We're done here," he said. "The super villain secret society has been neutralized. And as for your performance…" he let the statement hang in the air for a moment. "It was satisfactory." The team exchanged glances and smiles with each other, and then M'gann called the Bio-Ship to bring them back to Mount Justice.

_I hope you guys enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it! This was an episode I really liked, so naturally I put it in the story. While there will be a lot of original parts of the story, I will definitely take some actual episodes and incorporate Desmond into them. Thanks for all the people who have read, and continue to read! (And happy Halloween!)_


	11. Boardwalk

_Author's note: Wow, two in one day. When you're sick, there's not much to do. Well, this one will be a lot less exciting than the last, but I hope you like it none the less._

**Disclaimer: You know, same old same old…**

Chapter Eleven

Boardwalk

After the Injustice League fiasco, the team quickly returned to Mount Justice. Showers were due, in order to get the stink of the swamps off their bodies. When they were all clean it was already past midnight, so Robin, KF, Aqualad and Artemis said their goodbyes, and Superboy, Miss Martian and Desmond went to sleep almost immediately. The next day arrived quickly, and Desmond woke to the sound of teens in the kitchen. Pulling some sweat pants on over his boxers, he walked into the kitchen to see the entire team assembled, all eating some sort of breakfast food. "What's going on?" Desmond asked, yawning and stretching. M'gann handed him a plate of scrambled eggs, then floated to the stove.

"We have the day off," she explained, tending to some sizzling bacon. "I thought we should all spend the day together." Wally made nodded, and swallowed his mouthful of sausages.

"Whatever you say, babe," he said flirtatiously to Miss Martian. Literally _everyone_ else in the room smirked. Wally still didn't understand Conner and M'gann's relationship.

"So… breakfast?" said Desmond, scarfing down a few forkfuls of eggs. "What's next, a day out on the town?" M'gann blushed and nodded. Desmond's eyes widened. "Really? We're all just going to hang out?" The team nodded. "When did you guys decide this?"

"We got here half an hour ago," Artemis explained. "By the way, you snore." Desmond's face turned beet red.

"You guys went in my room?!" he exploded. "While I was sleeping?" The team had to fight to keep the food in their mouths as they erupted in laughter. Desmond crossed his arms and sat down with a huff. Artemis walked over and offered him a piece of her bacon, which he begrudgingly accepted.

"Cheer up," she said. "I was kidding. And come on, we'll have fun today." Desmond nibbled on his bacon and shrugged.

"I guess," he said at last. "So… where are we headed?" The team exchanged some looks, and after a moment gave a collective shrug. Desmond sighed. "I can always count on you guys for a battle strategy, but you're terrible at planning out a day, you know that?"

"Well," said Wally defensively. "If you're so good at it, where should we go, Mr. day-planner?" Desmond took a forkful of eggs and thought it over. It was a Saturday, so certain places would be crowded. No good movies were playing, and some ideas were just plain bad. Then Desmond snapped his fingers, getting a sudden idea.

"Let's go to the boardwalk," he suggested. This was met with quizzical looks from all around.

"Happy Harbor doesn't _have_ a boardwalk," M'gann reminded him. Desmond smiled at their confusion and shook his head.

"The Queensland Boardwalk," he explained, trying to make things clear for his teammates. "In Metropolis. We'll Zeta-Beam there later. They've got food, rides, and fair-style games. And they have fireworks almost every night. It'll be fun." The team exchanged a few looks.

"Yeah, sure," said Robin at last. "Sounds cool. Any objections?" he asked. No one said anything, and he smiled. "Alright, we'll finish breakfast and Zeta-Beam to Metropolis."

XxXxX

The Zeta-Beam drop off point in Metropolis wasn't very close to Queensland Boardwalk, so the team had to take the bus, which none were too thrilled about. There weren't a lot of open seats, so two of the members had to stand. Desmond offered, since it was his idea to come to Metropolis, and Artemis was decided (via rock, paper, scissors) to stand as well. The bus ride wasn't very long, but it was nevertheless inconvenient. At some point along the otherwise silent ride, Artemis instigated some conversation.

"So," she started. "Did you come to this place before? How'd you know about it?" Desmond glanced out the window, trying to avoid his teammate's gaze.

"Uh, I was on the road for a while, before joining the team," he explained. "I came here a few times, met a couple guys. They hooked me up with a place to crash. In return I had to help work some of the attractions." Obviously he left out the parts about why he was on the road, running from his father and his past.

"Oh," said Artemis. Then they awkwardly left it at that. Soon, however, the bus arrived just outside the Boardwalk, and the team filed out. It was rather chilly for October, so they zipped up their jackets.

"What do you guys want to check out first?" Robin asked. Wally pointed eagerly at the concession stands lining the long wooden walkway. Robin gave him a gentle punch.

"We _just_ ate," he reminded the speedster. "I was thinking more like a roller coaster, or some games." M'gann interjected quickly.

"We don't all technically need to stay together," she said. Desmond noticed her eyeing the Ferris wheel, and suspected she wanted to share a two-person cart with Conner. KF looked at her confused.

"It was _your _idea that we spend the day together," he reminded her. "And if you want to go on the Ferris wheel with me, all you need to do is ask." Conner stifled a laugh, and Artemis elbowed him in the stomach.

"Perhaps we should begin with some of the attractions," offered Kaldur. "I am anxious to test my prowess at some of these games."

"Sounds good," said Robin, and the team walked off to find some games that suited them well. Robin and Artemis quickly went to games that tested their hand eye coordination, and got top-shelf prizes every time. Aqualad found one of those games where you need to shoot the water out of the gun, and challenged Wally to a game. The speedster lost almost every time, and accused Kaldur of cheating. Desmond and Superboy found one of the games where you hit the target with the mallet, and it tells you how strong you are. Oddly enough, the top level of the strength meter was designated as "Superman!" Superboy cockily strode up, grabbed the mallet, swung in over his head, and smashed the target. Almost immediately the little metal ball attached to it struck the bell on the very top, denting it slightly. The man running the game looked to Conner with widened eyes.

"We've got a Superman over here!" he proclaimed, and Desmond couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"You have no idea," he said. The man ignored this, and went to a large box to fish out a prize for Conner. He handed him a small plush Superman. Desmond looked at it, and whispered to Superboy. "Irony's a bitch, ain't it?" Superboy chuckled.

"Give it to someone else if you don't want it," said the man. "Maybe that girl that's been making eyes at you for the last five minutes?" he gestured to M'gann, who was, in fact, watching Superboy. He gave her a small wave, and thanked the man for the prize.

They day progressed from there. The next destination was a hall of mirrors. The team walked in, and almost immediately got lost amongst their reflections. Desmond stumbled around for a moment, disoriented by the many mirrors. Mostly he saw his own reflection, but he would occasionally get a glimpse of someone else's, and become even more confused. He reached a large open room, completely reflective. These mirrors were tricked out so they could show a person's movements more distorted, so it wouldn't exactly sync up and confuse people even more. Desmond smiled as he tried to figure a way out of the room. He spun in a circle, and was suddenly being grabbed on the shoulders from behind. He jumped, screaming. He turned to see Artemis collapsed on the floor, clutching her sides to keep from laughing.

"What the hell?" asked Desmond. "Not cool!" Artemis slowly regained her composure, but stayed on the floor, too lazy to get up.

"I'm sorry, it was too easy," she apologized. "You should've seen the look on your face! I wish I had a camera!" She held out a hand, signaling for Desmond to help her up. He did so, and then turned to the way he'd come in.

"Yeah yeah, let's just get out of here," he suggested. The two set out to try and find an exit. They stumbled around for a few minutes, Desmond running into several mirrors (which Artemis found hilarious) before they found something. It wasn't the exit, however: it was Superboy and M'gann. Making out like dogs. "Oh yuck," Desmond whispered. "I mean, good for them and all, but it's so… mushy…" Artemis flicked his head. "Ow!" he whispered sharply.

"Shut it," she said. "I think it's cute. And they can't have moments like this with the team around, now can they?" Desmond shrugged.

"Whatever," he said. "I'm just saying, you won't catch me lip-locking with someone like that."

"Yeah," said Artemis. "You'd need a girlfriend for that to happen." He playfully punched her arm, and they continued to search for an exit. They finally found the way out, and met up with Kaldur, Robin and Wally, who had already made it out.

"Did you guys see Conner or M'gann in there?" asked Robin. Desmond smirked, but Artemis elbowed him in the ribs.

"No," she said. Just as Robin was about to volunteer to walk back in and find them, the pair in question walked out, both blushing an awful lot.

"Have fun, babe?" Wally asked, completely oblivious. Artemis pinched between her eyes in annoyance at KF.

"What now?" asked Desmond. Wally, once again, pointed to the food stands. The team groaned, but finally agreed to follow him to the food. Desmond had a hotdog, as did Robin and Kaldur. Artemis had a burger, and Conner and M'gann shared a large order of fries. Wally pretty much got one of everything. Zipping over to Conner and M'gann, he held out a milkshake with two straws.

"What d'ya say, Miss M?" he asked, implying they could share the shake. She politely declined, but Desmond whispered to Robin and Kaldur.

"I'm kind of getting tired of this, aren't you?" The two exchanged a look, and shrugged.

"Should we tell him?" Robin asked Kaldur. Desmond nodded excitedly, but Kaldur shook his head.

"It is not our place," he sighed. "Wally will find out when he finds out." They dropped the conversation, and continued to eat their hotdogs. After the food had been consumed, the team decided to go on some rides. There was a Ferris wheel, carousel, and a few roller coasters. The team settled on the coasters first. M'gann and Conner had never been on any before, so the team spent the ride explaining them to the two aliens.

"And then you go down a huge drop," said Wally, mimicking the drop with his hands. "And everyone puts their hands up, and screams. And some people puke!" Conner raised an eyebrow.

"Why do people like these, again?" he asked. Desmond shrugged.

"No one knows," he said. "We just do. Come on, we're next." The man running the coaster ordered them all into their seats. Conner sat with M'gann (of course) with Wally and Desmond behind them. Next were Artemis and Robin, with Kaldur bringing up the rear by himself. The ride took off slowly, as most usually do. There was the steep incline, and the peak. Just before the drop, Wally leaned forward.

"Get ready," he told Conner and M'gann. Then they dropped. The sound of wind whistling through Desmond's ears was second in volume only to the loudness of M'gann and Conner, screaming with delight. Desmond smiled at their enjoyment. Conner seized a moment to look back at his friend.

"I get it now!" he shouted above the roar of the coaster, before throwing his hands in the air once more, and whooping with laughter and excitement. Desmond followed suit, loving every twist and turn the coaster took. It soon ended, and just as the team was getting off M'gann and Superboy ran up to the rest of them.

"Let's go again!" pleaded M'gann. The rest of the team laughed, and agreed. They got back in line to repeat the ride.

After riding both of the roller coasters several times, it was starting to get late. Desmond checked his watch, and informed them it was much later than they thought; nearly eleven at night. As soon as he'd said it, all of them started to feel rather groggy. They'd been so active all day, but now it was catching up to them. They were planning on leaving, but Robin pointed to something large in the center of the boardwalk.

"Look!" he announced. The team did, and was delighted with what they saw. A band was setting up, for some sort of midnight show. It was clearly a cover band, as there were no screaming fans wearing shirts and asking to get things signed.

"Let's stick around for a while," Desmond said. "And besides, they haven't done the fireworks yet." The others agreed, and they milled around for a while, waiting for the music to start. The first song they played was "Little Lion Man" by Mumford and Sons. Desmond was a rather large Mumford fan, so this was a real treat. After that there were a few songs they weren't too big fans of.

"Hey," suggested M'gann after a few songs that no one was interested in. "Let's go on that Ferris wheel now." They agreed, and the team got in line. Once again, M'gann and Conner sat together. Kaldur took a seat with Wally and Robin, since the seats _could_ fit three. This left Artemis to sit with Desmond. They got in, slightly uncomfortable. Not because they didn't want to sit with each other, but something was just… awkward. Like they both liked what was happening, but didn't want to say so. They sat down on the bench, facing the dark sky. The wheel lifted into the air, and Artemis yawned loudly.

"Tired?" asked Desmond. She nodded sleepily. Just then, the fireworks began. They were a spectacle: flashes of green, white, red and blue. All following synchronized patterns. One after another they lit up the night sky. From below, Desmond could hear, the band had begun playing "Fix You" by Coldplay. Desmond remembered a conversation he'd had with Artemis once regarding the band, and he felt like pointing out the song to her. "Hey, they're playing—" but he quickly stopped, seeing Artemis. She had fallen asleep, gently resting her head on Desmond's shoulder. He hadn't even noticed. He considered waking her, but decided against it. If he was being honest… he kind of liked it. Just then, the Ferris wheel shuddered, and stopped moving. "Must've gotten stuck," Desmond muttered to himself. He was at the top of the rotation, and had an excellent view of the fireworks.

"Lights will gui-i-ide you home," the band sang below him. "And ig-ni-i-ight your bones. And I will try… to fix you…" Desmond smiled, gazing at the fireworks before him. He took a quick glance at Artemis' sleeping form once again, and realized there was no one else he'd rather be on the Ferris wheel with.

_So that was kind of gushy. Sorry about that, for those who didn't enjoy it. Also, I don't know if you can tell, but this story will have some Artemis/Desmond action. Sorry to the "spitfire" fans out there. Maybe there'll be a girl for Wally somewhere. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and had a good Halloween. I didn't (due to illness) but got some writing done._


	12. All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues

_Author's note: WOW it's been a while. Really sorry about that, to anyone who couldn't wait to find out what happens next. Well, I'm back, and I'll try not to disappoint. Without further ado, here's chapter twelve. And in case you're wondering, yes, I stole the chapter title from an episode of Lost. Sue me (but don't really, please)._

**Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me!**

Chapter Twelve

All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues

The next few days were pretty uneventful. School was… well, it was school. No missions, so the team spent most of their time training. Desmond was feeling kind of awkward around Artemis since that night at the boardwalk. It didn't help that she was oblivious to his thoughts. She wasn't even aware that she'd fallen asleep; once the wheel continued to move Desmond had helped her walk back to the bus station, and roused her on the ride home, leaving out the details about how the night had ended. He hadn't even told Conner or M'gann, which was strange, since they told him things constantly. Desmond had been trying to ignore the strange tension he felt around the archer, and in order to do that he needed to spend some time with her antithesis: Wally West.

"So the bartender said," Wally concluded his joke, as he, Robin and Desmond walked down the sidewalk. They'd gone for some fast food. Yeah, they could get food at Mount Justice, but it was nice to feel like a kid, not a hero, sometimes. "That's no nun, that's my wife!" The joke had been poor, and was met with looks of disapproval from the two other boys. Wally wouldn't give up, however. "I said; that's no nun, that's my wife!" Robin shook his head.

"Not your best, Wally," he said, drinking some of his chocolate shake through a straw. Desmond nodded in agreement with the Boy Wonder, as he munched on some fries. The three friends all wore fleece jackets, as the crisp October air was getting chilly in Happy Harbor. Wally shrugged.

"Oh well," he said, taking a bite of his double cheese burger. "So… M'gann…" Desmond and Robin groaned loudly. This didn't dissuade Wally, however. "She's totally into me, right?" Desmond clapped him on the shoulder.

"Totally man," he said, his voice dripping in sarcasm. "She's head-over-heels in _love_ with you." Wally grinned broadly.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed, not understanding that Desmond had been joking. He dropped the subject, thankfully, and moved onto yet another topic. A downside of hanging out with Wally was that he was constantly changing the topic of conversation. Being a speedster comes with just a hint of ADD. "You guys think we'll get a mission soon? I'm bored cooped up in that cave." Desmond shrugged.

"I hope so," he said. "I really want to punch something, you know? You're lucky, Rob." Robin, although a member of Young Justice, was still Batman's side kick. The Dark Knight would still call on his protégé to patrol the streets of Gotham with him rather often. Wally would occasionally go on missions with Flash, Artemis would sometimes patrol with Green Arrow, and Aqualad was periodically called back to Atlantis, but neither saw as much action as Robin. The sunglasses-clad boy shrugged.

"What can I say, duty calls," he said. Wally giggled at the word 'duty' and Desmond punched his arm for being a doofus. Robin had a laugh at this, and the boys continued on chatting, joking, and laughing until they found the Zeta-Beam to Mount Justice.

"Recognized, Robin B01," it blared. "Kid Flash, B02. Shifter, B08." They were instantly transported to the Cave, where they found Artemis sparring with M'gann. Wally grinned wickedly, and gave a small wave to the two boys he'd arrived with. He zipped over to where the two were sparing, and knocked M'gann off her feet. In the blink of an eye he was behind her, catching her as she fell.

"Hey there gorgeous," he said, winking. "Careful. Don't want to bruise that pretty face, right?" M'gann giggled and thanked Wally for the assistance, while Des and Robin groaned.

"Great," complained Desmond. "He's so fast he can be his own wingman." Robin snickered as KF approached them again, looking smug at his tactics to woo the Martian.

"Pretty smart, right?" he asked, holding his fist out to be bumped. Desmond and Robin shook their heads and went to walk away. Suddenly, however, the Zeta-Tube glowed orange, and in walked Batman, Zatara, and a girl behind him. She looked to be about fifteen, but it was kind of hard to tell. She was dressed in a magician's get up, much like Zatara, minus the hat, and replacing the pants with leggings. Without acknowledging the quizzical looks he was getting from the team, Batman used his communicator to call Superboy and Aqualad into the Mission Room. They arrived quickly, and matched their teammate's quizzical looks upon seeing the teenage girl. Batman turned to face the entire team.

"Team," he said, gesturing backwards at the girl and Zatara. "This is Zatana, daughter of Zatara." Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"You joining the team," he asked the girl, Zatana. She opened her mouth to answer, but her father intercepted the question.

"No, she's not," he said, in his accent. "She is not joining. Not yet at least. But Batman has… encouraged me to introduce her to you all, in case the day does come when she will join your ranks." Batman nodded, and stepped up again before the teens.

"I'd hate to ruin any plans of a tour," he said. "But I do have a mission for you, as well. Dr. Jonathan Crane, AKA the Scarecrow, has gotten out of Arkham somehow. While I could handle this myself, I think it would prove an excellent mission for the team. And Zatana, if I have your permission?" Batman addressed the young girl's father. Zatana looked at his as well, but with pleading, puppy-dog eyes. The sorcerer looked from the two of them, and sighed heavily.

"I suppose—" but he didn't have time to finish his sentence before his daughter wrapped her wrists around his waist, and squeezed him tightly, squealing with joy.

"Thank you, dad!" she exclaimed. "Thank you, thank you a thousand times!" The rest of the team smiled and giggled at her eagerness. She realized she was making a fool of herself, and quickly straightened up, clearing her throat. "Uh… let's go." And with that, they showed Zatana to the Bio-Ship.

XxXxX

The team was in the air, nearing their destination in Gotham. They had filled in Zatana, and she them, on the way over. Robin was leaning over her chair, pointing out Gotham buildings and telling her what they were. Desmond presumed the boy wonder had a crush on the young magician, but didn't want to say anything. Soon the ship was hovering over the warehouse that Batman's coordinates had sent them to.

"Activate your camouflage," Aqualad advised the team. They touched their chests, the color of their outfits changing to darker hues. Aqualad continued his guidance. "We'll enter from different locations. Robin, Kid Flash, M'gann and I will take the front door. Superboy, Shifter, Zatana and Artemis will enter from the roof. Only speak through the mental link once inside." Conner and Robin were visibly disappointed that they weren't assigned to the same group as their favorite females on the team, but Des was secretly ecstatic, though he wouldn't let it show. The team exchanged looks, nodded, and Des, Conner, Artemis and Zatana dropped onto the roof. They watched the Bio-Ship re-camouflage, and fly away to drop off the rest of the team. The four on the roof turned to each other, and Superboy gazed at the roof below them.

"Alright," he said, getting onto his knees. "Just let me pound a hole in this, and we'll drop in." Artemis quickly grabbed his shoulder before he could begin hammering away.

"No, don't!" she exclaimed in a sharp whisper. "We're _supposed_ to be stealthy. Smashing a hole in the building will let everyone inside know that we're here. Desmond will need to phase us in." All eyes turned to Shifter, who looked back, wide eyed.

"Me?" he asked. Artemis nodded. "I don't think I can. One person is fine, two maybe. Phasing in _three_ other people, plus myself? I don't know if I could get us all in." Artemis walked up to him, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Desmond," she started. "We need to be stealthy about this, and don't have enough time for return trips. Besides…" She looked him in the eyes. "I believe you can do it." Desmond thought for a minute, and nodded. He held out a hand, which Artemis grasped tightly. With his free hand he gestured Superboy and Zatana over. Superboy grasped his shoulders, and Zatana held onto his other hand. He inhaled deeply.

"Wish me luck," he whispered, and lowered his density quickly, along with that of his three teammates. Slowly they began sinking, their feet and legs passing through the roof smoothly. One they were about halfway, around their waists, the process slowed a bit, and got a bit jerkier. Desmond let out an involuntary groan, not sure how much further he could go. Artemis, sensing his distress, grasped his hand tighter, wordlessly reassuring him in his ability. Desmond gritted his teeth, and willed their bodies to pass further through the roof. Slowly but surely their bodies sunk lower and lower, and eventually dropped to the floor inside the building. Des let out a huge sigh of relief.

"That…" said Zatana, who was staring at Desmond. "Was very cool." Superboy pat Desmond on the back, and Artemis gave him a smile and a nod. Des smiled back, feeling proud of himself. He didn't dwell on it for long, though, because almost as soon as they had entered the building, the lights went out. Desmond stood, hardened himself, and prepared for a fight. Suddenly there was the sound of metal scraping against metal, and a loud clang. Then the lights went back on, and Desmond was alone. He turned, and found the source of the noise. Four large, metal walls had come down, separating him from his friends.

"You guys okay?" he called out.

"I'm good," replied Superboy, though it was muffled.

"Me too," said Zatana. "Artemis?" There was a pause, then… nothing. "Artemis?" Zatana called out again. This time there was a reply.

"Get back!" came the voice of Artemis, followed by a few muffled cries, and the sound of one of her explosive arrows detonating. Desmond banged on the wall.

"Artemis!" he yelled, to no response. "Superboy, smash into the next room. I'll meet you there." Desmond heard a few pounds on one of the walls to his left.

"Be right— AH!" The banging stopped as Superboy's sentence was cut short. Desmond realized something must have happened to him as well. Zatana realized it too, as she began banging the wall and screaming.

"Superboy, Artemis," she called out. "Desmond, they're both gone. We need to…" But she didn't finish her sentence. Desmond immediately assumed the worst, and lowered his density. He passed his foot through the wall, and was about to go and find his teammates, when a voice called from behind him.

"Don't you want to stay and chat?" Desmond froze mid-phase. He pulled his foot out, and whirled around. Now he was face to face with his father, Ra's al Ghul.

"What're _you_ doing here?" Desmond hissed. "Working with Scarecrow? I always had you pictured for a solo act, dad." Instead of responding with a clever retort, Ra's pulled a large sword out of a sheath on his belt. "Not in the mood for talking? Fine, let's do this." Desmond hardened himself, and charged at the centuries old man. Ra's easily side-stepped his advance, and sliced out at Desmond's back. It collided, and though it didn't cut him, it did knock him off his feet. Desmond stumbled, but regained his composure and swung back at his father. This time the punch connected, and Ra's was knocked into a metal wall. He picked himself up, and dropped his sword.

"I see this will be more of a challenge than I had anticipated," he said. He shrugged off his large green cloak, and revealed his bare chest. For a seven hundred year old man, Ra's al Ghul was built. Actually, he was fitter than most men, no matter what their age. Desmond didn't care. He ran at his father, and sent a punch for his chest. Ra's blocked, and delivered a sharp kick to Desmond's knee. The hero fell to his knees, letting Ra's kick him in the face. He flew back, but quickly got back up, and went back for more. This time Ra's couldn't block Desmond's quick jabs, and the son managed to get his father on the ground. Desmond put his foot on Ra's' chest, and began pushing down. Ra's made a strangled coughing sound, and moved like he was clutching for air. Desmond sneered for a second, finally about to be free from his father's tyranny. Then Ra's smiled. "Just like your old man," he managed to choke out. "A ruthless killer." Desmond didn't know what to do. He realized his father was right; this was no better than something Ra's would do. But the immortal man took this moment to grasp Desmond's ankle, twist it, and fling him across the room. Desmond had involuntarily lowered his density, and when his head hit the metal wall, he blacked out almost instantly.

XxXxX

When Desmond came to, he was tied to a chair. Again. He growled and rocked back and forth.

"This again!" he exclaimed. Suddenly there was movement to his left, and he looked to see Superboy, also tied to a chair, stirring to consciousness. "Conner, what happened?" Before Superboy could answer, there was a groan to his left, directly behind Desmond.

"Who's there?" came Zatana's voice. She must've turned to the right, because she noticed Superboy. "Superboy? Where are the others?"

"I'm behind you," said Desmond. He turned to his right, and saw Artemis, still unconscious. They were all tied up. "And Artemis is on your other side." As if she'd heard her name being said, Artemis slowly woke up.

"Huh?" she said, realizing what was going on. "Alright, where are you?" She thrashed around, but Desmond intervened.

"Artemis," he said quickly. She turned, and saw the predicament her teammate was in. "Calm down. It's just us in here. Zatana's next to you, and Superboy is behind you. We're tied up."

"Not for long," Zatana muttered. "Sepor Eitnu!" The ropes around her untied themselves, and removed themselves from her body. Superboy just ripped his off, and Desmond phased out, and then went to untie Artemis. The four friends, now free from their binds, went to search for a door to the small room they were in. Upon finding none, they decided to contact the others.

_Aqualad, M'gann, KF, Robin, come in,_ Desmond called tried. He waited for a minute, before sighing and addressing his teammates. "Nothing, guess we're on our own." The others groaned, and began looking for a way out. After a moment of silence between the four of them, Superboy spoke up.

"What actually happened to you guys?" he asked. "I mean, to get you in here?" The three looked at each other, and realized no one wanted to share. Superboy spoke up again. "I think it must've been Scarecrow's fear gas or something, making us see things that weren't really there." Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he said. "That makes a lot of sense. Why do you think that, though? What'd you see? What'd you go up against?" Superboy averted his gaze, but still answered the question.

"I…" he started. "I saw, I fought… Superman." The room was dead silent, no one daring to say anything. Until Zatana spoke up.

"You're scared of Superman?" she asked, confused. She was not aware of Conner's back story yet. "I mean, isn't he, like, your dad?" Conner balled his hands into fists.

"He's not… technically my dad," said Conner. He then explained (an abridged version) of how he came to be. "I'm a clone, created by Cadmus. I was made to replace Superman if he died. Or to… destroy him…" Zatana seemed to understand now, why Conner would see his "father" when hit with fear gas. The fear of standing up to Superman would probably be enormous for anyone, let alone his supposed replacement. He looked at Zatana. "What'd you see?" Her face got slightly red.

"I don't want to sound like a hypocrite," she said. "But I saw… my dad, too. But not regular him. Like a fifty foot tall version. He was trying to squash me; literally. I think it's cause he's always so over protective of me. I love him with all my heart, and he feels like that about me, but it's a little too much, you know. Meeting you guys wasn't a spur of the moment thing: I've been pleading to join for weeks now! Batman needed to do the convincing, and I'm not even an actual member, I'm just along for the ride. I guess I'm scared the most of my dad's oppression." Suddenly Artemis spoke up.

"This is too weird," she said. This was met by raised eyebrows, so she explained her thinking. "You both saw your dads, right? Well… I did too. My biggest fear is… well, it's people finding out who my real dad is."

"Who is it?" asked Desmond. He realized this sounded rude, as she had _just_ told them she didn't want anyone to know. But he knew it was like to conceal a secret about family, with his own father. He was hoping for someone to commiserate with, and if it was Artemis, that was just a bonus. She looked at Desmond, and sighed heavily.

"It's… Sportsmaster…" The groups eyes widened. Even Zatana and Desmond, who had never met Sportsmaster personally, had heard stories of his terrible crimes. And Artemis was his _daughter_? The girl who'd done so much good for the team, and for the world? Desmond shouldn't be surprised they could be so different, seeing the difference between himself and Ra's. But the experience when fighting the hallucination, when he realized how similar they really could be, left his rattled. "So now you know. But you _can't _tell anyone, please!" The three others looked at each other, and nodded. Desmond rested a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your family that defines who you are, Artemis," he said. "It's you. _You_ define who you are." He said it to reassure her, but he was also trying to reassure himself. She smiled, and sniffed.

"Thanks," she said after a moment of silence. "So… what'd _you_ see?" The other two in the room looked to Desmond expectantly. He looked them all in the eye, and sighed heavily.

"You're not going to believe this," he said, trying to avert his gaze. "But I saw my father too. I saw… Ra's al Ghul…" The gasps were audible this time. Desmond looked up to see the looks of shock on everyone's face, as if Desmond had just confessed to murder.

"Your _dad_…" Zatana said, but trailed off, probably not believing what she was being told. Artemis locked her eyes on Desmond's.

"You didn't want us to find out," she whispered. "That was your fear, just like me." Desmond shook his head.

"Yes and no," he said sadly. "I didn't want you to find out, for obvious reasons. But there's more than that." And he explained the fight with Ra's. "See, my whole life I've been trying to distance myself from Ra's. That's why I was on the road for so long before joining the team. He wanted me to join him; he said with his power, and my gifts, we could rule the world. But I didn't want to rule the world. I realized I wanted to save it. So I joined up with Young Justice. But back in that room, when I was fighting my father, I got him pinned down. I pushed down on his chest, harder and harder. I thought it was really him, and I was going to kill him, and end all my worrying. But he stopped me, by saying how alike we are after all. _That_ is my fear; to end up like my father. To end up evil." There was a long silence, and then Artemis grabbed Desmond's hand.

"Hey, knock it off," she demanded of him, but gently so. "You told me a second ago that it's not your family that defines you. Who cares who your dad is? He could be the most evil human being on the planet, and it doesn't affect who you are. Got that?" Desmond looked her in the eye, smiled, and nodded. She smiled softly back. "Good." Once again, silence. Desmond eventually let out a long exhale.

"Wow…" he said at last. "We've all got some pretty serious daddy issues, huh?" Despite everything that had recently happened, the others managed a light chuckle. Then Conner stood up.

"Come on," he said, determined. "Let's find this freak, and get him back to the madhouse he belongs in."

_Pretty good from my first chapter in a while, right? This one will be continued in the next chapter. Well, now Conner, Artemis, and Zatana know Desmond's secret, and Desmond, Conner, and Zatana know Artemis'. Will they continue to look at each other the same? Will the others find out? Keep reading to find out!_


	13. All there is to Fear

_Author's note: This is part two of the Scarecrow mission the team was sent on. I really tried to include a lot of team dynamics in this one, and I think it came out well. Please enjoy._

**Disclaimer: I own NONE of this (besides Des).**

Chapter Thirteen

All there is to Fear…

Once again trying the mental link, and finding it dead again, the four realized that their friends were most likely unconscious, as they had been previously. Once again scanning for an exit, and finding none, Desmond realized he had to get the others out through the walls.

"I'll go and look for another room," he said, laying out a plan. "When I find a safe place, I'll come back. No way I can get all three of you through at once this time, so I'll need to make a few trips. Hold tight until then." With that, he phased through the wall nearest him. Searching for a minute or so, he finally stumbled upon another room. It was large, but filled with giant shipping containers, the kind you find on ships transporting things across oceans. Desmond called out, and when got no response, realized it was a safe location. He returned to friends. "I found a place. Who's first?" They exchanged some looks, and Artemis shrugged and walked to Desmond. She gripped his hand.

"Let's go," she said. Desmond smiled, and stepped through the wall. He could tell Artemis was uncomfortable; the feeling of going through walls could do that to a person. Desmond had years to get used to it, so he didn't feel the effects. He did know what it felt like, though. Imagine being pushed by a gentle current, like in a river. Just like that, but instead of just pushing you, it's moving through you. And it's your entire body, head to toe. People say they want to feel weightless, but actually _being_ weightless is a very unnerving experience. Soon Desmond reached the other room, and dropped Artemis off.

"Be right back," he said, and disappeared through the wall again. Returning to his other friends, he just grabbed the nearest person, which happened to be Zatana. She gripped his hand rather tightly, being even newer than Artemis to the strange feeling. He dropped her off with the archer, and returned for Conner. He stepped through the wall, and held out a hand.

"Dude," Superboy said, looking at Desmond's outstretched hand. "There's no way I'm holding your hand." Desmond rolled his eyes as Conner walked up, and placed a hand on his shoulder. They passed through the wall, meeting with the girls on the other side.

"Alright," said Artemis. "Now, we need to save the others. Crane probably has them in a really secure area." Zatana raised a finger.

"Uh, maybe not_ so_ secure," she said. "I mean, we just found it." She pointed to an area further in the room, which no one had seen yet. There they saw the other four members, Kaldur, Wally, M'gann and Robin, tied up in a similar fashion that they had previously been in. The quickly ran over and began rousing their teammates. Superboy seemed to wake up M'gann just by touching him, and Robin roused quickly to the sound of Zatana's voice. Artemis was having trouble waking a drooling Wally, and Desmond was working on Kaldur.

"Aqualad," he coaxed. "Hey, Shifter to Aqualad. Come in Aqualad!" Suddenly, Kaldur's eyes shot open, and he struggled to get out of the bonds.

"Put it out," he exclaimed, acting rather out of character compared to the Atlantian's usual composed state of being. "Put out those flames!" His shouting woke Kid Flash, who began shaking in his chair so fast that it fell over.

"He must still be under the effects of the gas," guessed Zatana. "Let me try something." She spread her fingers wide in front of Aqualad's face. "Hsalps Htiw Retaw!" Water erupted from her palms, dousing Aqualad's face. He gasped, as if coming out of a hypnotist's hold. His eyes were wide, but he seemed to realize what was going on.

"Thank you," he said. Zatana nodded.

"Don't mention it," she said. "Now let's get those ropes off of you." She moved to untie him, but the tattoos on his arms glowed brightly, and the ropes around him were hit with some sort of magical pulse, causing them to fall away. Zatana looked impressed. "Or just do that," she said. The eight teens converged in a circle.

"Crane's probably got more of that fear gas," Robin guessed. "We need to make sure we don't get caught off guard. Make sure you're ready." The others nodded.

"Now, we'll need to focus on finding the Scarecrow," said Kaldur, stepping up to lead. "Splitting up again is out of the question, so we'll need to find him together. As Robin mentioned, there will almost certainly be more gas he will send our way, not to mention any lackeys he may have recruited. Be on your toes. We'll head that way." He signaled to a hallway leading to the right. The team engaged the stealth modes on their uniforms, and went forward. They rounded a corner, followed by a long, narrow hallway. This lead to another room, but this one was not empty. Three men, all armed, stood guard. One monitored a door on the other side of the room, and the other two had posts near a large wooden crate. There were several crates in the room, but this one was by far the largest. The team quickly halted, making sure they hadn't alerted the men.

"I can take out the one by himself," offered M'gann. "I can camouflage in and apprehend him. I'll need back up though." Desmond raised a finger to offer his assistance.

"I'll phase through that crate," he said, pointing to the guards, whose backs were turned to said crate. "Take them both at once. Piece of cake." They looked to Aqualad for confirmation, and he nodded. M'gann, through mental link, gave Desmond one last bit of advice.

_Get them at the same time,_ she offered. _If one acts before the other, then the target still standing might attack. We don't want that._ Desmond nodded, and they moved in. He lowered his density, and passed behind the several crates lining the walls. He could see something inside of them, but it was too dark to make out it was exactly. Upon reaching the crate that the guards were stationed at, he slowly phased just the front of his face out. He watched the guard M'gann was targeting, waiting for a signal.

_Ready? _ He thought to her.

_Yep,_ she responded telepathically. _Three… two… one… NOW!_ M'gann de-camouflaged and dropped to the ground, just as Desmond phased out of the crate entirely. He tapped both thugs on the shoulders. They turned to face him quickly. He waved at them nonchalantly.

"Hi boys," he said. Quickly, Desmond grabbed both their heads, and smashed them together, leaving the two guards lying in an unconscious heap on the floor. M'gann was levitating her guard, upside down. He had dropped him gun. Walking up to the guard, Desmond grabbed the lapel of his jacket. "May I?" he asked M'gann. She smiled, and nodded. Desmond turned the thug to face him. "Where's Crane?" Desmond demanded.

"Like I'd tell you," the thug said, and spat on the floor between Desmond's feet. "The Scarecrow doesn't need any trouble, especially not from a bunch of kids." Desmond gritted his teeth, and delivered a jab to the guard's stomach. He grunted as the wind was knocked out of him.

"Where… is… Crane?" Desmond asked again, trying to sound menacing. This time the guard got the message, as he gestured through the door he had been guarding.

"He's in there!" the guard said, trying to cover his face with his hands. "Now please, just let me go!" Desmond looked to Aqualad, who had walked up to the small interrogation scene. The Atlantian considered it, but shook his head solemnly. Desmond shrugged, and grabbed the thug's jacket with both hands. M'gann released the mental hold on the thug's body, so he was now only being suspended by Desmond.

"Sorry about this," said Desmond, though he really wasn't. He flung the guard across the room, into the crate that the other two guards had been previously stationed. He crashed into it, instantly getting knocked out, and breaking open the wooden crate. A few large, metal barrels of something rolled out of it. Robin quickly walked over, bent down, and opened up the barrel slowly. There was a disgusting smell coming from it, and one whiff was enough to make Robin reel backwards.

"It's fear gas," he told the team. "Barrelfuls of fear gas." Aqualad stroked his chin.

"Superboy, Desmond," he began an order. "Pry open the other crates, check if there's more gas inside." They went to work, and with each crate opened up, the more and more canisters of fear gas they found. Once all the crates were opened, and the gas was collected, there was a pile of around twenty canisters of the stuff.

"We need to trash it," said Artemis. She pulled an arrow out of her quiver, and cocked it. No one moved to stop her, so she pulled back. Suddenly, seconds before letting the arrow fly, Robin grabbed her arm.

"Wait!" he shouted, making everyone jump. She gave him a look like 'are you crazy?' He smiled wickedly. "I just got an idea. We're _so_ going to feel the aster."

XxXxX

The team got into position. The door the thug had pointed to led to a large chamber, with Scarecrow at the very end of it. They had managed to sneak in undetected, despite the several guards Scarecrow had flanking him. Everyone had a specific job, and they had to be done precisely for Robin's plan to go without a hitch.

_Is everyone ready?_ Asked Aqualad telepathically. Everyone confirmed that they were, and he continued. _Excellent. Zatana, you are up first._ She nodded from her position next to Robin, and silently whispered a spell.

"Etaerc A Htolc!" Suddenly, a two foot, brown cloth appeared in the air just before her. She handed it to Robin, who pocketed it. She wasn't done, however. "Etaerc Thgie Sag Sksam!" A gas mask appeared in the air in front of each member of Young Justice, Zatana included. They all put them on their heads. Aqualad picked up the mental conversation again.

_Okay, good,_ he said. _There are six guards in all, and the Scarecrow. Artemis, you are up._ She nodded, and cocked an explosive arrow. She didn't aim it at the thugs, or even Scarecrow, but at the ceiling. She let it fly, and it impacted with the ceiling, the explosion setting off the sprinklers on the roof. Just as planned.

_Kid Flash, we must move,_ said Aqualad. The two got up from their spots as the guards began spinning around, looking for the cause of the explosion. KF sped up to the nearest one, grabbed his gun, and sped off. Aqualad willed the water from the sprinklers to attack the guard nearest him. M'gann floated away from her hiding spot.

_My turn,_ she thought. _Here goes_.

_Be careful, _Superboy urged her. She smiled, nodded, and was off. She flew over to a large shelf, covered in more crates, which were presumably full of fear gas. She mentally lifted one of the boxes, and placed it down, separating KF and Aqualad from the goons. She did this with several other boxes, creating a makeshift wall that spanned a large portion of the room, so there was no way the thugs could get to the team. Now there were only four guards to worry about, along with Scarecrow. Desmond turned to Superboy.

_We're up_, he said. _Let's hit it._ Superboy nodded, and they ran up towards the crates. The new that Crane would never permit the goons to fire their guns through the crates to try and reach the heroes, because that would mean risking his precious fear gas. The wall of crates was nearly at the ceiling of the cavernous room, at least twenty feet in the air. Desmond and Superboy exchanged a quick glance, then made their moves. Superboy jumped to the top of the wall, as Desmond passed through the crate nearest him. Getting to the other side, he quickly hardened himself. Superboy jumped off the boxes, landing behind them. Scarecrow turned from what he was working on to face them. His face was covered in what looked like a burlap sack with poorly stitched eye holes and a mouth. His body was covered in a flannel shirt and pants, really giving off the vibe of a real scarecrow one would find in cornfields.

"Get them," he shouted to his lackeys. "They cannot interfere!" The remaining four guards open fired, disregarding their previous orders to not shoot near the fear gas. Bullets bounced off of Desmond and his Kryptonian partner like they were made of titanium. They split up the work, each taking two guards. Desmond grabbed the first, and threw him into a wall. He was unconscious almost immediately. For the second, he lowered his density and sunk through the floor. He moved under the guard, and yanked him under the floor entirely. He moved to one of the smaller rooms on the ground floor of the warehouse (they were on the second floor) and dropped him. He hit the ground with a thud, and groaned, unable to move. Desmond smiled and returned to the battle ensuing above him. Upon return, he saw Superboy had taken care of his guards.

"Get Robin!" he shouted. "I'll grab Scarecrow." Desmond nodded, and quickly phased back through the crates. He ran up to the boy wonder, who was still waiting with Zatana.

"You're up, bird boy," Desmond said, grabbing Robins hand and yanking him towards the crates. He phased the two of them through, and quickly returned into the crate. He grabbed a canister of fear gas, and brought it back out with him. Holding out a hand, Robin gave him the piece of cloth Zatana had previously conjured. He phased his arm into the canister, cloth in hand, drenching it with fear gas. He pulled it out, and handed it to Robin, who ran up to Scarecrow. As Superboy held him down, Robin pulled the villain's mask off, revealing the pale face of ex-psychologist Jonathan Crane.

"Let's see what you're scared of, Doctor Crane," said Robin tauntingly. With that, he covered Crane's nose and mouth with the cloth. He shook his entire body, trying to break free of the boy of steel's grip. Suddenly he stopped moving, his eyes wide. Robin removed the cloth. And then the villain shrieked.

"Get them away!" he shouted, seeing something no one else could. "Make the birds go away! Make them stop!" The rest of the team converged on the gassed Crane, all sharing looks of confusion as the villain shrieked and pleaded for safety.

"The Scarecrow's scared of birds?" asked Artemis, hands on her hips. "That's… ironic…" Robin quickly cuffed the screaming doctor. Superboy lifted him over his shoulder.

"Who would've thought," he said. "Now come on, let's radio Batman to get this guy back to the Asylum. I've had enough fear for one day." They walked out of the door, and Aqualad began calling Batman with his com-link. Desmond, while chatting with Wally about how well the mission had gone, heard a snippet of conversation between Zatana and Robin from behind him.

"That plan was genius!' she said. "I definitely felt the aster." Desmond smiled, practically feeling the grin that this must have brought to the thirteen-year-old's face as they left the warehouse.

_So Robin is already impressing Zatana, and she's not even on the team yet! Dude's a ladies' man! Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this one. I mean, I hope you enjoy __all__ of the chapters, but you know what I mean. Also, thank you to the people who've recently reviewed, favorite, and added to their alerts. I really appreciate it! Keep reading for more Desmond, and more Young Justice._


	14. Developments

_Author's note: Hi all! This one is focused almost entirely on Desmond. I felt he should make some progress with his abilities. Just a heads up, the next few chapters will be heavily based on actual episodes, so be ready for that. Alright, enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: None of these beautifully created Characters or settings are mine.**

Chapter Fourteen  
Developments

The rest of the week was rather uneventful. When Friday rolled around, Happy Harbor High had a football game against a school from Providence. Desmond and Conner agreed to go, not because they cared about the game, but because Megan had begged them to. It was her first night of cheering in front of a crowd, and she wanted their moral support. So Des and Conner went to the game. Climbing the bleachers to their seats, they heard someone calling their names.

"Do you hear that?" asked Desmond. Conner held up a finger, and closed his eyes. Desmond guessed he was trying out his super-hearing, which often needed a lot of concentration. Soon his eyes opened, and he pointed to a spot high in the bleachers. Desmond followed his finger, and his eyes settled upon Marvin and Wendy. Since that incident the first day, the three heroes had become rather close with these two. Even Mal Duncan, the boy who Conner had faced off with (and tonight's star quarterback) had grown warmer. Conner and Des walked to join Marvin and Wendy.

"Hey you guys," said Marvin. "Just in time, the cheerleaders are about to go on." It was half time, and the cheerleaders walked out. Conner watched intently, not because he cared about intricate moves, but because he wanted to make sure Megan was safe. Dude had a serious hero complex—even for a hero! Desmond, who cared more about the cheerlead_ers_ than the cheerlead_ing_ watched closely as well. The Bumblebees came out, and the crowd cheered like lunatics.

"Football's really big here?" Desmond asked Wendy, above the roar of the crowd. She nodded, smiling.

"We're going for conference champs," she explained. "People seem to think Mal can take us all the way!" Desmond shrugged.

"How's the big guy doing so far?" he asked, and Wendy filled Desmond in on the things he and Conner had missed. The cheerleaders were dazzling, the game was intense, and in the end, Happy Harbor came out on top by just one touchdown. Once the game was over, Conner and Desmond went and stood outside the locker room the girls were changing in, waiting for Megan. Needless to say, they got quite a few looks from girls who just thought they were being peeping toms. When Megan eventually did come out, she threw a huge hug around both Conner and Desmond.

"Did you see, did you see?" she asked excitedly, jumping around like a little kid on a sugar rush. "Was I great? Oh, did I mess up? Tell me I didn't mess up!" Conner put reassuring hands on her shoulders.

"You were great, M'gann," he assured her. "I mean it." The gazed into each other's eyes, and Desmond suddenly realized how third wheel-ish he was being. Instead of saying something awkward (ie. "How about you two get a room?") he just did what he does best. He phased through the ground, watching silently as M'gann and Conner kissed. He wasn't being creepy, he was being nice, and giving them their space… kind of. His mind wandered to Artemis, and he quickly shook those thoughts away. Yeah, she was nice, and funny, and can kick a villain's ass six ways from Sunday, but still… He let the thoughts go, as he was too tired to really act on them.

"You can come out now, Des," Called Megan. Desmond released a sigh of relief, and floated back up to where the couple was. They began the trek to the Zeta-Tube that would take them to Mount Justice. As they walked, Conner nudged Desmond in the side.

"Thanks," he said. Desmond winked, and gave him a thumbs up. Even a Kryptonian needs a wingman sometimes.

XxXxX

Desmond did not wake up the next morning to the smell of M'gann's excellent pancakes, as he had hoped. No, he was woken by a sharp wrapping of knuckles on his bedroom door. He groaned, and shoved his head under his pillow.

"Come in," he said sourly. He heard the door open, and footsteps walked in. Then the person spoke up.

"Get up, Desmond," came the gruff voice of Batman. "We have work to do." Desmond almost jumped a foot in the air. The Dark Knight woke him up! Then he remembered that he slept in his boxers, and quickly covered up.

"Yeah, sure thing, Batman, sir," he said, covering himself with pillows, his face turning a shade of red akin to a tomato. "Can I just have a minute to, uh, get ready." Batman nodded curtly, and left the room, the door shutting behind him. What was going on? Desmond ran through all the possibilities in his head. What could be so important that Batman would make a trip to Mount Justice, just for him? Although he had many possible ideas, most of them revolved around Ra's al Ghul. Had something happened? Should he not have told the others? Once he was dressed, Desmond walked tentatively into the Mission Room. Then he quickly relaxed, because he was not alone. Batman was there, of course, but he was accompanied by Black Canary, Red Tornado, and Martian Manhunter. Next to them was Miss Martian, who waved to Desmond excitedly. He walked over to the assembled heroes.

"Isn't this great?" she asked the groggy teen. Clearly she had been filled in on what was going on. "We're getting special training! And from my Uncle, J'onn." Desmond instantly perked up. Training from the Martian Manhunter? This _was_ going to be great. But what would they be learning? What could the Martian really offer Desmond? The adults nodded, and began walking. Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"Come along, children," said J'onn. "The training will commence in the pool." Whoa, the pool? Desmond was going swimming… with M'gann? Oh, Conner wasn't going to be happy about that. But once they arrived at their destination, Desmond quickly realized it wasn't a swimming exercise. There were large blocks of metal, larger than a full grown man, along the side of the pool. The majority of the water had been drained, and there were brighter lights now.

"What exactly are we doing, Mr. Manhunter?" asked Desmond. J'onn smiled slightly.

"Please, Desmond, call me J'onn," he said, in his Martian accent. "Now, as for what you and M'gann will be doing today. I Batman and I have made some… calculations. We speculate your and M'gann's powers are progressing." M'gann interjected.

"Progressing?" she asked. "What do you mean, Uncle J'onn?"

"Naturally, all powers grow," he explained. "They are like muscles: the more you use them, the stronger they become. For you, M'gann, this means that you will begin your training on density-shifting." She smiled broadly.

"And me?" asked Desmond curiously.

"Well," said Martian Manhunter. "Your case is a bit more interesting. I trust you remember your first day, yes? You showed me your limited grasp of flight. Well, a limited grasp is still a grasp. I believe you will be able to control your hovering, and turn it into full blown flight soon enough." Desmond couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then J'onn dropped a bit more info on him. "There is… something else as well. But we will get to that later. For now, stand on the diving board." He motioned to one of the diving boards, and Desmond nodded. As he walked to the board, Red Tornado stood next to him. He glanced, and saw Martian Manhunter guiding his niece over to the large metal blocks. Desmond focused on his own training, and got on top of the diving board. Batman walked over, and Red Tornado stepped aside to let the Dark Knight speak.

"Now, we'll see if we can get you to fly," he said. "Lower your density, like you did the first day. Jump off the board, and hover there."

"I can't hold it for very long," Desmond explained. "When my density gets that low, I get really light headed, and start to have trouble breathing." Batman nodded, already having a response to this issue.

"When you get to that point," he said. "Raise your density. But _very_ slightly. You will start sinking a bit, but don't lose focus. As soon as you become stable again, lower your density, and try to regain the position you were at originally. Understand?" Desmond nodded, and mounted the diving board. "Red Tornado will supply a small burst of wind, if you need one to remain in the air." Red Tornado nodded to confirm this. Desmond gave the android a thumbs up, and began lowering his density. He brought it to the point where he could go no lower (at least not without dissipating into thin air) and jumped off the board. He made it about a foot away when he began floating in place. He immediately felt a difference from the last time he attempted this; normally he would be light headed in ten seconds, dizzy in twenty. He was going on forty, and felt fine.

"Try moving around," said Black Canary, watching from a distance. Desmond nodded, and willed his body to move to the left. It did so, to his amazement. Then he moved to the right, and finally, upwards. This was _officially_ flight! Just as Desmond began feeling elated, his vision began to blur. Batman seemed to notice this.

"Raise your density slightly," he called out. Desmond mustered a nod, and slowly raised his density. He began sinking to the pool below, very slowly, but also was able to catch his breath. Once he regained his composure, he gestured upwards, signaling for Red Tornado to give him a boost. The android complied, and Desmond regained his position in the air. He felt better than the first time, and was able to hold on for almost double the time. After several times floating around for a bit, taking a five second break, and getting back to it, Desmond could remain at his lowest density for nearly five minutes. He had all but forgotten floating in place, and had now taken to flying around the large room. He soared across the pool, doing midair flips. He moved over to M'gann, training with her uncle. She noticed her teammate hovering nearby.

"Desmond, you got it!" she exclaimed, reaching up to give him a high five. "You're flying! That's fantastic!" J'onn phased out of the block of metal next to M'gann, and nodded his approval. Batman, Black Canary, and Red Tornado walked over.

"Yes, it is," Batman said. "And with enough practice, you should be able to remain airborne for at least an hour, maybe more. If you devote yourself to practice, it will be easier than you think." Desmond touched down, and landed next to the Bat. He smiled and nodded.

"I will, Batman," he promised. "Absolutely, anytime I can." He turned to M'gann, J'onn, and the block of metal. "So, how's your training going?" Her face fell.

"Not too good," she said. "I can't seem to get it, at least not on my own." Desmond raised an eyebrow, and J'onn explained.

"If M'gann's density shifting were to fail halfway," he began. "She could be seriously injured. I need to hold her hand while she is inside the block of metal, and if I feel her start to slip, I need to lower her density for her."

"Like, density shifting training wheels?" Desmond inquired. Martian Manhunter grinned.

"Yes," he said. "Sort of like that." M'gann was not amused, however.

"I feel happy for you, Des," she said. "I really do. But this is really bothering me. How do you do it? You make it seem so easy." Desmond shrugged.

"Like Batman told me," he said. "You need lots of practice. And I mean _lots_ of practice. If I had a nickel for every time I got a limb stuck in the floor, or smacked into a wall instead of going through it, well… I'd have about seventy five cents." M'gann giggled, and J'onn put a hand on her shoulder.

"That is good advice, Desmond," he said, beginning to pull M'gann back to her training. "But we really must be getting back to it. Into the block, M'gann." Desmond nodded, and turned back to Batman.

"So… are we done now?" he asked. "I mean, I don't want to sound arrogant, but I think I've got it now." Batman shook his head.

"You don't sound arrogant at all," he said. "And you are correct, you do have it now. But since you grasped it so quickly, we have another test for you." Desmond raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"There's more?" he asked, excited. It was like getting Christmas presents, but it was only October! "Well, lay it on me." Batman shook his head again.

"Not in here," he said. "Come, we'll go to the locker room instead. Farewell J'onn, M'gann." With that, Batman, Red Tornado and Black Canary all walked towards the direction of the locker room. After a moment of hesitation, Desmond followed. The entered the locker room, and Red Tornado excused himself, saying that "his services were no longer required" and that he should "attend to other matters." Now it was just Batman, Black Canary, and Desmond.

"Okay," said the latter. "So, what is this super special power we needed to come in here for you to tell me about?" Instead of answering, Black Canary removed her jacket, and walked a few feet from where Des and Batman were standing. Desmond looked at her quizzically, and then to Batman, for answers.

"Black Canary has volunteered to help test our theory," he said, still not saying exactly what the theory _was_. "Now, lower your density, and walk to where she is standing." Desmond shrugged, and did what he was asked. He strode up, and stood about three inches from Canary. He looked to Batman, confused, but the Dark Knight shook his head. "_Exactly_ where she's standing." He said.

"Uh…" said Desmond, confused. "You mean… shift inside of her?" Batman nodded.

"That's precisely what I mean," he said. Desmond's eyes widened, as he looked at Black Canary. He felt uncomfortable that she was here. Yes, he'd been in the locker room with the female members of the team before, but they were always separated by a wall. Being on the same side felt… wrong, somehow. He took a deep breath, tried not to think about how inappropriate this was, and walked _into_ Black Canary. There was a sudden rush of blood to his head, causing his vision to blur. He rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them again, Black Canary was gone. Then he realized something else was amiss. He felt a bit taller. And… top heavy? Investigating, he looked down at his chest, and saw… boobs. Black Canary's boobs, to be precise. He held up his/her hands, and saw perfectly manicured fingernails. He grabbed his clothes, and saw he was wearing Black Canary's skin tight black top. He brushed a lock of golden hair out of his eyes, which were now the size of baseballs. He spun to look at Batman, who was nodding his approval.

"What is going on?!" he shouted, in a voice that was not his own. "Why am I Black Canary? How did this happen? How can I fix it?" Batman held up two gloved hands, trying to calm the confused hero-in-a-heroine's-body.

"Desmond, relax," he said, keeping a level head. "Our theory just proved correct. It seems that if you lower your density, and put the majority of your body _into_ someone else's, you can 'posses' them, so to speak." Desmond's/Canary's eyes grew wider.

"What do you mean, 'posses'?" he asked, still not calming down. "Like a ghost? Do you mean I have full control of Canary's body?" Batman nodded.

"To an extent," he said. "If the person is unsuspecting when you enter them, you should have no problem gaining control. People who are aware of your presence will most likely fight for control. Black Canary is relinquishing control to you, but could take it back if she wanted. She is aware of everything you are doing right now, and letting you do it." Suddenly, Desmond heard a voice in his head that was not his own.

_That's right, Des,_ thought Black Canary. _I'm still in here. So watch the hands, mister._ Desmond immediately dropped his hands to his sides.

"You said I'll need to fight for control," Desmond asked Batman. "What happens if I lose that fight?" Batman smirked, and nodded.

"Canary, if you please," he said. Suddenly, Desmond felt an immense pressure in his head, like a migraine. There was a flash of light, and the next thing he knew, he was sitting on his butt, at Canary's feet.

"Oh," he said sheepishly. "That happens." Canary held up a hand to help Desmond up, and pulled him to his feet. Batman walked over, and put both hands on Desmond's shoulders.

"Desmond," he said, a stern expression on his cowl covered face. "This gift, it's very unique, and very powerful. It has a lot of potential for good, but could also be used for evil purposes. You need to make sure that you aren't taken advantage of. By _anyone_." This last part, Desmond knew, was focused on Ra's, who would abuse Desmond's gifts, and use them for evil. Desmond nodded.

"I understand," he said solemnly. Batman nodded once more.

"Good," he said. "Then we're done here."

_Desmond got some upgrades! Also, M'gann will be getting slightly better at density shifting every once in a while, just as a bonus. I hope you enjoyed. Please favorite, review, and most of all CONTINUE READING!_


	15. Higher Purpose

_Author's Note: Hey, I'm sorry this took so long. I've been really busy lately. Anyway, I don't want to keep you. This one is based off the episode "Failsafe." Please enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: None of these things (not including Des) are mine. Not even close.**

Chapter Fifteen

Higher Purpose

As the alien spacecraft fired its final beam, Batman joined the rest of the League in ashes. The screen faded away, and was replaced by an incoming transmission from Zatara.

"Tornado… did you—" he began, but the android cut him off.

"Yes, Zatara," he said. He stood facing the monitor, his back to the team, who were still processing what they had just witnessed. A fleet of hostile aliens, who in a matter of minutes ripped a good portion out of the Justice League. Captain Marvel, Martian Manhunter, both Green Lanterns. Not to mention Superman and Batman. "We saw. Celestial defenses have failed. Initiate all terrestrial measures." Zatara nodded.

"Affirmative, see you in the field," and with that, the screen faded away as well. Red Tornado turned to face the team.

"I must join the League," he informed the teens. "We will protect the planet at all costs. But should we fail, the responsibility falls to you." The team exchanged solemn glances, all realizing the same thing. It was true what Tornado had said; soon responsibility will fall to them. The fate of the world rested on the League's shoulders, but it may prove to be too heavy of a burden. Despite the impending doom, Aqualad took a step forward.

"We stand ready," he proclaimed boldly.

XxXxX

For the next hour, the team was glued to the monitors in the Mission Room. They hoped and prayed that the Justice League, the mightiest heroes on Earth, would defeat this foe. But they watched as heroes fell, one by one, all over the world. Flash and Zatara in Central City. Green Arrow, Black Canary, Hawkman and Hawkwoman in Taipei. Wonder Woman in Smallville. Red Tornado fought on in the small Kansas town, radioing in to the cave suddenly.

"Red Tornado to Cave," the transmission said. "I fear I am all that remains of the League." They watched him fight on for a few more seconds, before a blast from one of the ships hit him from behind, and he was vaporized, like all the rest. There was a moment of silence in the Mission Room, as they let it sink in. Once again, it was Aqualad who spoke up.

"We are Earth's heroes now," he informed the others. Superboy seemed angry. Possibly due to the sudden death of his "father."

"So what're we waiting for, a theme song?" he inquired aggressively.

"A strategy," Aqualad corrected him. He had snapped into leader mode. But now he was so much more than the leader of Young Justice. He was the leader of Earth's last line of defense. "Earth weapons are ineffective, and it has been made tragically clear a direct attack will not succeed."

"Then what do you propose?" asked Desmond. Robin began typing into his holographic computer.

"Checking satellite imagery…" A large holo-globe appeared in the middle of the room. It showed various sections of red clusters, most likely signifying where the aliens were focusing on. "Here's where the aliens are now." Superboy walked up.

"This one get lost?" he asked, pointing to a red dot far north, in the Arctic. Robin seemed surprised.

"That's Superman's Fortress of Solitude," he said. Superboy raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Superman has a Fortress of Solitude?" he asked incredulously. He almost sounded jealous. Robin ignored the question, and continued with his reasoning.

"Its power source must have attracted the alien's attention," he stated. "At least enough to send a scout ship to investigate. Superboy took a few steps away, seeming to be angry.

"Must be some fortress…" he mumbled. M'gann went to console him. "No, it's okay. I guess there's a lot about Superman I'll never know. Uh, you know, now."

"We will target this lone ship," said Aqualad, beginning to strategize.

"Yeah," said Kid Flash, getting into a combination of angry and excited. "Break it down. Build more. Hit those _ugly aliens_ with their own mojo!" Artemis gave him a smack on the arm. She whispered angrily,

"Martian and Kryptonian in the house." Wally looked sheepishly at them, and tried to muster a laugh.

"Uh…" he tried. "Not that all aliens are automatically ugly."

XxXxX

They had gone over the plan countless times in the Bio-Ship. M'gann would camo in, and disable the ship's communications, and try to ground it. Artemis would use one of her foam arrows to seal the door shut. Then they'd dismantle the thing, pulling off the laser so M'gann could attach it to the Bio-Ship, allowing them to give the aliens a taste of their own medicine. When they finally arrived at the northern destination, they were taken aback by how awe-inspiring the Fortress of Solitude really was. Made entirely of crystal, it was basically thousands of giant, sharp looking formations criss-crossing to form a huge headquarters for the man of steel. The large metal front door had a Superman S emblazoned onto it, signifying whose fortress it was. The team was decked out in their polar wear, all their costumes white instead of the regular colors. Even Superboy's classic black and red shirt got a color change.

The Bio-Ship touched down some twenty feet away from the alien craft. Artemis and M'gann prepared to leave. Quietly, before she could go, Desmond caught Artemis' attention.

"Hey, Artemis," he whispered. "Uh… be careful out there. I mean, duh, but… be _extra_ careful, okay?" Then, without warning, Artemis leaned in, and planted a kiss on Desmond's kiss, leaving him red faced as she dropped through the hole M'gann had created. Had this been under normal circumstances, Des would have been ecstatic, and the other guys would be giving him high fives and pats on the back. But this was a solemn day, so he repressed his joy, focusing on the mission at hand. In a moment, M'gann mental-linked in.

_Communications disabled,_ she told them. There was a crash as the alien ship fell to the ground. _Propulsion disabled._ The team dropped through the hole, landing on the icy ground. They watched as Artemis fired an arrow at the presumed door of the ship, and the foam that coated it. The aliens fired a few lasers in retaliation, but it hit no one.

_And ETs are sealed inside,_ confirmed Artemis from her hiding spot behind a chunk of snow and ice. Now the rest of the team acted. Aqualad sprang up from the arctic waters he'd been hiding in, causing the ship to shake around on the unstable ice. Aqualad landed on the ship, and it prepared to fire a beam, but Kid Flash zipped in and knocked the two of them out of the way. Shifter and Superboy rushed in, the latter grabbing onto the cannon and raising it into the air, so it couldn't hit anyone. Robin flipped onto the ship, and began scanning the cannon.

_Indentifying weapon structural stress points, and links to the ship,_ he explained. There was a moment of him fiddling with his holographic computer, then he pointed to three areas, with each one saying: _Here, here, and here._ Once he had pointed them out, Desmond phased his arm through the metal exterior, grabbed a fistful of wiring and electrodes, and yanked it out. He repeated the step twice more, and Superboy yanked the cannon off of the ship. M'gann called the Bio-Ship over, and Superboy held the cannon near it while M'gann tried to connect them.

_ Rerouting system to integrate weapon into ship's bio-matrix,_ she told them. _I'll need to de-camouflage for a few minutes._ Just when things were starting to look up, the sound of two more ships flying in signaled their attention.

_We may not have a few minutes,_ Robin warned, as the ships drew nearer. Aqualad told Miss Martian to fire the cannon at the new ships, but she explained that the weapon systems were offline to incorporate the new cannon. Just then, Artemis sprang into action.

_Got'cha covered!_ She exclaimed. She fired a few arrows, hitting both of the ships. _Now get inside, I'm almost there!_ She turned, and began to run to the Bio-Ships as both of the assailants fell out of the sky. One crashed through the ice and sunk, but the other landed, and skidded towards the team. It turned its cannon towards them, and prepared to fire.

_Artemis, behind you!_ Exclaimed M'gann. The archer turned, pulled back an arrow, and was blasted in the face by the orange beam. When the light died down, their friend Artemis was gone. "ARTEMIS!" shrieked M'gann, forgetting the telepathic link. Suddenly it was like everyone on the team had been punched in the gut. There was an overall sense of pain and loss shared amongst the team. That, and anger.

"ARTEMIS!" screamed Desmond, fury and rage growing inside his body. "NO! Artemis, no!" Aqualad, although definitely feeling the same emotions as everyone else, still had a responsibility as leader.

"Everyone, get inside," he shouted. "Shifter, to me!" Desmond pulled himself together, nodded, and got ready to practice a strategy he and Kaldur had been working on. Aqualad pulled out his weapons, and slashed at the ice. It fell away, revealing a straight path of water to the fallen ship. He willed a chunk of ice onto the water, and Desmond jumped atop it. Aqualad created a large wave, and propelled Desmond forward like a surfer riding a huge swell. Once he reached the end of the water, where the ship was, the wave forcefully pushed him off, sending him sailing through the air. As he glided to the ship, Aqualad willed the water below it to lift it upwards. Desmond shot directly through the ship like a cannon ball, causing it to explode in the middle of the air. The ashes fell to the ground as Desmond solemnly walked back to the others. M'gann was openly weeping, and Conner wrapped his arms around her. Kid Flash and Wally were staring at the ground in disbelief. Desmond walked up to Kaldur, who had a hard expression set on his face.

"We're going to kill them," Desmond whispered to the team's leader. "We're going to kill every last one of them."

XxXxX

The flight back to the Hall of Justice was somber. Aqualad had decided that the team better make a PSA of sorts, letting the people of Earth know there were still people fighting for them. But no one really seemed camera ready at the moment. Kaldur had a stern expression planted on his face. Superboy kept grumbling profanities about the invaders, while Robin just stared straight ahead, not saying a thing. M'gann was trying (and failing) to stifle her tears, and Wally kept trying to say something to get everyone's spirits up, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never get the words out. Desmond had his hands clenched into fists, and his jaw set. Thoughts of anger and revenge flowed through his mind, intertwined with memories of Artemis. The two of them taking down Killer Croc, that night on the Ferris wheel, their confessions about their parents. Then he thought of how he was going to take down these aliens; destroy every last one. M'gann seemed to sense his distress, as she mental-linked to him, and only him.

_ Hey Des,_ she tried. _I get it. Artemis was like a sister to me. And don't worry, we'll avenge her. And when this is all over_… she had to mentally stifle tears, _We'll give her a real burial._ Desmond sniffed back tears of his own, and thought back his thanks. Just then they arrived at the Hall of Justice. It wasn't pretty. Three alien ships were attacking, and the US army was just barely holding them back. The camouflaged Bio-Ship flew in, and opened a hole above one of the ships. Superboy dropped onto it, and started beating it with his fists. The ship moved over another, and Desmond repeated the process. Then the team used the new cannon to disintegrate the last of the three. When Des and Conner had taken care of their ships, and the team landed on the ground, the soldiers cheered. Desmond heard one of them whisper something about Superman, and wouldn't take his eyes off Conner's shirt. Conner seemed to overhear it too.

"I'm _not_ Superman," he corrected. A middle aged man with many badges, probably a general, walked up to the team.

"I don't know who you are, son," he said, addressing Superboy. "And right now, I don't care. You wear the S, and you got the job done." Conner just mumbled once again that he wasn't Superman. "Tell that to the enemy," the general responded, before giving a salute to Aqualad. "General Wade Eely, US Air force," he said.

"Aqualad," Kaldur replied. "Justice League," no one corrected him, because they all felt it true now. In this dark time, they _were_ the Justice League. "We'll help you salvage as many of the alien cannons as possible. Then we start taking back what is ours." They set to work getting cannon parts, and helping remove the rubble from the battle. Soon the area was cleared, and the team walked into the Hall of Justice. Desmond had never been before, and his first experience was depressing, to say the least. All the statues were demolished. He could only make out a few details here and there; Martian Manhunter's head, Batman's cowl, Superman's iconic S shield.

"They're really gone," Robin whispered, standing by the rubble of his fallen mentor's statue. M'gann couldn't take it anymore, and she rushed to the statue of her uncle J'onn. She knelt beside it and wept. Suddenly she stopped, raising her head up. She floated away from it, and telepathically raised the remaining statue up from the ground. Underneath was none other than the real Martian Manhunter, rubbing his head like he'd bruised it.

"Uncle J'onn!" Miss Martian exclaimed, flinging the statue across the room. She swept in to give him a hug, but Aqualad stepped between them.

_M'gann, check his mind,_ he thought. _Make sure he is whom he appears to be._ M'gann nodded, and in a moment grinned broadly.

_It's him_, she thought. _He's real. And he's alive!_ Superboy was not so quick to believe.

"But we saw you get disintegrated," he remembered. "You and Superman. And everyone!"

"Yes, I remember," recalled Martian Manhunter, standing up with the help of his niece. "But I… cannot remember how I survived. Or how I arrived here."

"Maybe you were density shifting, and the beam passed right through you," M'gann reasoned.

"Scrambling your brains along the way!" finished Robin. Martian Manhunter put a hand to his forehead.

"My mind _is_ clouded," he began. "I feel certain I had something important to tell you." Suddenly, from the back of the room, KF smacked himself in the head.

_Hello Wally!_ He thought, taking his own spin on M'gann's catchphrase. _Come on!_ The rest of the team turned to look at him, and saw that he'd zipped over to one of the fallen ships. The rest of the team followed curiously. _I knew it, look! It's giving off Zeta-Beams. The same stuff that powers our Zeta-Tubes. This thing doesn't disintegrate, it teleports! They're alive!_

_ Maybe…_ thought Robin.

_No maybes, they're all alive!_ Wally retorted. Desmond felt that a weight had been lifted off his chest. Artemis was alive. And he was going to get her back.

_Alright, nice cliffhanger! Anyway, I'm sorry it took so long. But it might be this way for a while, as I'm thinking of starting a new fic. I WILL keep working on this one. Both at the same time shouldn't be too hard. Anyway, please review and favorite if you liked it, and above all KEEP READING!_


	16. Sacrifices

_Author's Note: Hi everyone. I hope the wait wasn't too bad this time. Anyway, this is the second part of the chapters based on the episode Failsafe. I hope you enjoy._

**Disclaimer: None of the characters or the plot of Failsafe belong to me. Only Des.**

Chapter Sixteen

Sacrifices

The team had no time to rejoice, however. Just then, a new fleet of the alien ships arrived. They flew in fast, shooting their Zeta-Beams everywhere in the vicinity.

_We're on our way!_ Aqualad alerted us, signifying that he was going to get the soldiers to join us at the front lines. Robin told him otherwise.

_Negative,_ he said. _We can't win this. Miss Martian, camouflage the Bio-Ship and—_ But it was too late to continue, because at just that moment the Bio-Ship was hit with a beam from one of the canons. M'gann and J'onn fell to the ground. They must have suffered some sort of injury due to their psychic link with the ship. Desmond, Wally, and Robin began to run back to the Hall. _We're falling back!_ Robin told everyone. When the three heroes and the rest of the soldiers arrived, General Eely stopped.

"We're trapped," he said, looking towards the rubble that had covered up the path ahead. Aqualad seemed to be forming an idea in his mind. He opened the nearest door, and began walking inside.

"Maybe not," he said. The team and the soldiers ran into the library of the Hall of Justice. Several soldiers stood guard while the team moved to the Zeta-Tube, Conner carrying M'gann, and Desmond and Robin helping keep Martian Manhunter up. "We can all Zeta to the cave. If _you_ can grant us computer access to the tubes."

"I can only transport one at a time," Martian Manhunter said. Aqualad told him to send the soldiers to go first, but Eely wouldn't have it, saying the team were assets they could not afford to lose. Martian Manhunter caused an override, and the team began filing through. First went M'gann, then Kid Flash. Next went Robin, and then Desmond. Once he arrived at the cave, Desmond quickly joined the others in waiting for the rest of there team. At first noting happened, and then a soldier came through, quickly followed by Superboy.

"Where're the others?" asked Robin, trying hard to keep the fear out of his voice. Just then there was another flash, and Martian Manhunter came through. M'gann ran up and gave him a hug. Then Robin walked up to him. "Aqualad?" he asked hopefully. J'onn averted his gaze from the thirteen year old, and shook his head sadly. Another pang of sorrow swept through the entire team.

"Kaldur…" Wally murmured to himself. M'gann began sobbing again, being consoled by J'onn this time. Superboy stood awkwardly, staring at the ground. Desmond suddenly yelled out loud, and punched the wall of the cave, leaving a large dent.

"What do we do now?" he shouted. "Kaldur's gone! Our leader is _dead_!" He took a moment to compose himself, and turned to the boy wonder. "What now, Robin?" he asked. Robin looked at him in confusion. "You're the leader now." Desmond stated, and no one made any objections. Robin wiped his nose on his glove, like a child would, but then cleared his throat.

"Our next mission is clear," he said, matter-of-factly. "If we believe the aliens have been teleporting their victims, then the only reasonable detention facility is here…" he typed into his holo-computer, and pulled up the image of the largest of the alien ships. "Their mother ship, atop what _used_ to be Smallville. Ring any bells?" he asked Martian Manhunter.

"No," the Martian said, rubbing his head. "I'm sorry." Robin disregarded this, and turned to Superboy.

"Superboy, you'll create a distraction," he said. M'gann immediately interjected.

"No!" she said, and turned to Conner. "He's offering you as a sacrifice. Aqualad would never do that!" Robin looked at her sternly.

"You're right," he said solemnly. "Aqualad would sacrifice himself. A mistake that _just_ cost us our leader. Superboy is the most likely to be perceived as a threat, motivating the aliens to deploy.

"Worst case, he's teleported inside," Wally reminded us. "And we set him free along with Artemis, Kaldur and the others." Kryptonian locked eyes with his Martian girlfriend, and Des could tell they were having a private psychic conversation. Soon they both nodded, and Robin nodded back.

"But first we need to do what Aqualad sent us here to accomplish," he reminded everyone.

XxXxX

Robin hooked up the holo-computer so the signal they were giving off would tap into every TV, computer, phone, and any other electronic device in the world. The kid had a way with technology. Soon they were recording, and were being viewed by every survivor on Earth. Robin figured he would start it.

"Hello," he said, trying hard to keep his voice calm. "My name is Robin. As I'm sure you've seen in the last few hours, the Earth is being invaded. The invaders have wiped out the Justice League, and a good portion of the military." Robin had decided we would all switch of speaking, so he stepped down to let Wally talk.

"We used to be part of a group known as Young Justice," he explained. "With the League gone, we've taken over to become the new Justice League. And we will fight for you, just like the League did." He stepped down, and M'gann stepped up.

"My uncle, the Martian Manhunter, is still alive," she reassured. "This is because the alien's beams don't kill people when they get hit, only teleport them to a mother ship, located in Smallville." Superboy stepped up.

"That means that your friends and family that have been taken from you are still alive. And so are Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman, and the rest of the League." Des took it from there.

"We too have lost loved ones," he said. "Many of us had mentors taken by the aliens, and two of our team members, Aqualad and Artemis, were abducted." He had to bite his lip to keep his voice from quivering when he mentioned Artemis.

"And though we know all seems lost," continued M'gann. "The one thing the aliens cannot destroy is hope."

"Hope survives because the battle is _not_ over," agreed Superboy. "Not as long as even one of us is willing to fight."

"It doesn't matter how many fall," Wally said. "For new heroes will always rise to carry on. Bringing all their resources, their skills, their talents to bare, to defeat the enemy."

"We cannot be snuffed out like a candle," Desmond said. "We are no small flame. We are an inferno! Raging onwards towards these invaders!"

"The people of Earth _will_ survive this," Robin concluded. "We'll rebuild, and we will thrive. Never doubt, and never forget. The Earth will _NEVER _surrender!" With that done, he shut off the transmission, and the team went to board the Bio-Ship to Smallville.

XxXxX

The ride was all but silent, with occasional debriefings from Robin. They had to remain camouflaged for the entire ride, as they passed several ships. Superboy had suggested they take them out, but Robin assured him that it was necessary nothing deter them from their destination. The soon arrived at Smallville. It was completely destroyed, a desolate wasteland ravaged by the alien invaders. Desmond had visited Smallville once when he was on the road. He could pick out a few of the destroyed spots; Smallville High was leveled, an old theater-turned-coffee shop known as The Talon had been crushed. Only a few houses remained standing. The Bio-Ship landed, and the team (plus J'onn) got out, and found an area that was secluded, but offered a good view of their target. Robin looked through a pair of binoculars at the ship, though there was no way someone could be in the area and not see it. The thing was huge, covering several blocks of Downtown Smallville. Cars were flipped over, and there were several fires coming from half demolished buildings.

"First team, deploy," commanded Robin. J'onn and M'gann nodded, going into camouflage mode. M'gann removed her cloak, and draped it over Desmond. Since it was organic, M'gann could still control it, and she willed it to stay in camouflage mode, effectively concealing Desmond. The aliens lifted off the ground, and Superboy grabbed Desmond's hands. He spun in a few circles, and threw the cloaked hero off towards the ship. Now that he was in the air, Desmond could lower his density to the point of flight. Doing so, he followed Miss Martian and her uncle to the side of the ship, and all three phased through it.

_In position_, she told the rest of the team. _Be careful, Conner. I love you._ Under other circumstances, she would have kept that just between them. But seeing how things were going, there was no point. They heard a thump as Superboy landed atop the alien ship.

"That's my cue," Shifter whispered. J'onn rested a hand on Desmond's shoulder, and M'gann gave him a quick hug.

"Keep him safe," she whispered to Desmond, who nodded solemnly. Lowering his density again, Desmond rose up towards where he had heard Superboy land. He got up just in time to see the Kryptonian yank a canon off the side of the ship, and point it at several others.

"Alright you glorified trespassers!" he shouted. "You want to see how a _real_ alien fights?" The canon began blasting away, hitting other canons in the process. Desmond ran to another area, and shoved his hand inside the canon's base. He pulled out a hunk of circuits and wires, and heard the canon shut down. He moved to the next one near him, and this time he hardened himself, and punched a hole through the side of the weapon, disabling it. Suddenly there was the sound of dozens of hatches opening, and Desmond watched about a hundred ships deployed.

_Now or never!_ Superboy shouted mentally. Shifter looked to the ground and saw a streak of black moving along the dirt. He knew it was KF and Robin, and they quickly jumped aboard the mother ship. Desmond turned to Conner, and started running at him.

_They're in,_ he thought to the boy of steel. _Let's get inside, before—_ but it was too late. Desmond watched in horror as an alien ship swept down and fired a laser, hitting Superboy right in the red S shield on his chest. He was gone. "CONNER!" shouted Desmond, ignoring the mental link. Suddenly the ship spun around, and faced Desmond. He had just enough time to sink back into the mother ship before a canon fired at where he'd just been standing. Desmond slowly floated down, and found where Kid Flash, Robin, and the Martians were standing. M'gann was on the ground, weeping, being comforted by her uncle. "You know?" Des asked. Robin nodded, and Wally walked up to M'gann.

"It's alright," he assured her. "We'll find him with the others. I know it." Suddenly Martian Manhunter stood up.

"No," he said. "My mind is clearer now. The disintegration beam is exactly that. There is no detention facility, no prisoners to rescue. Our mission holds no purpose." KF grabbed Martian Manhunter by the lapels of his cape.

"No, you're wrong!" he said. "The Zeta radiation proves they're alive. They're—" Robin quickly grabbed him, trying to make him get a hold of himself.

"Stop it KF," he demanded. "I've been scanning for League and team signals since we got inside. They're not here. Kaldur is gone." He looked to M'gann. "Conner is gone." He looked to Desmond. "And Artemis is gone. But our mission still holds purpose. To destroy this mother ship." M'gann stood up, wiping away tears, and nodded. They all exchanged looks, and ran through the nearest door. Inside was some sort of giant glowing ball, seemingly made of energy. Robin scanned it with his computer. "This is the power core. Blow this and the whole mother ship blows." They sprang into action. Robin landed on a platform, and was suddenly being sucked towards the core, like it had its own gravity filed. Kid Flash jumped to him and grabbed his hand, but he began slipping as well. Desmond ran towards them, and grabbed KF's ankle. Then he thrust his hand into the platform they were on, and re-hardened it while it was still inside. They weren't going anywhere. Desmond lowered his density again, and the three heroes slowly floated down to the glowing ball in the middle. Once they touched down, Robin removed the two straps from around his chest, revealing them to be explosives.

"You knew," said Wally, taken aback by the fact that Robin knew all this time that their friends were gone, and said nothing about it. Desmond was equally displeased.

"We willingly sent Conner to his death out there," he said. "And you knew full well that we weren't getting him back. You sent _me_ out there too! Did you plan on me dying?" Robin couldn't look at either of them.

"We need to make sacrifices," he said at last. "It's what Kaldur, Aqualad, and the League would have wanted. Now let's go, there's four minutes till these things detonate." They quickly got away from the power core, trying to retrace their steps. They soon ran into a door that was shut, with no visible way of opening it.

"Perfect," said Kid Flash. As if to make matters worse, four security robots came out of nowhere, and open fired on the remaining members of the team. They quickly dove out of the way, hiding behind some pillars.

_Sixteen seconds_, Robin informed everyone. _Manhunter, take Mss Martian and go!_ M'gann shook her head.

_No!_ she shouted. _We won't leave you._

_ That's an order,_ Robin said, without leaving it open for debate. _We'll follow you as soon as we can open those doors._ Without another word, M'gann and her uncle phased through the ground. Desmond glanced at Robin's countdown. Ten seconds, and dropping. The three heroes that remained all exchanged looks, and realized they weren't making it out alive. They nodded, and sprang from their hiding places, using the last few seconds of their lives to take down the alien robots. Then there was a thundering roar, and everything went white.

XxXxX

Desmond awoke with a start. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest like a jackrabbit on heroin. He slowly sat up, gasping for breath, and saw his teammates in the same condition. _All_ of his teammates. They were all alive. Conner, Kaldur… and Artemis. A wave of relief flooded Desmond's entire body as Captain Marvel walked over.

"Whoa there, Des," he said, putting his hands on his shoulders. "Take it easy now. You've got to be careful." Desmond realized he was drenched in sweat. He looked around again, and saw Batman talking with Martian Manhunter. What was going on?

"What happened in there?" asked Batman sternly. In where? What was he talking about?

"The… exercise…" said J'onn. He was sweaty too, and having trouble breathing. "It all went wrong."

"Exercise?" asked Robin, sitting nearest the two heroes.

"Try to remember," Batman said. Then he began the tale of everything that had happened to them in the last few hours. "What you experienced was a training exercise. Manhunter psychically linked the seven of you within an artificial reality. You all knew this going in. What you _didn't _know was that it was a 'train for failure' exercise. No matter what the team accomplished, the scenario was designed to grow worse. Still, you were aware that nothing was real, including the deaths of the entire Justice League."

"That is why you hardly grieved," Martian Manhunter said. "But all that changed when Artemis died." Desmond couldn't help but look over to her. She was staring at her feet, clearly lost in thought. He hoped she didn't think any of this was her fault. "Though consciously Miss Martian knew it was not real, her subconscious mind could not make that distinction. She forgot it was only an exercise. And her subconscious took control, making all of you forget, too." All heads swiveled to M'gann, who looked guiltier than Artemis.

"I-I'm so sorry," she said. Superboy angrily glared at J'onn.

"This isn't her fault," he declared. "Why didn't you stop the exercise?"

"We tried," Manhunter assured him. "But M'gann had… a death grip on the scenario. Even Artemis, who should have awakened after she died, was so convinced she had passed, she slipped into a coma. I realized I would have to wrest control of Miss Martian's subconscious from within. But upon entering the reality, I was overwhelmed by your collective emotion. There was too much… noise to think clearly, or to remember why I was there. The deaths of Aqualad and Superboy helped. But only when the mother ship exploded, and Robin, Kid Flash, and Shifter were silenced, did my mind clear enough to remember my true purpose. To shock M'gann out of the exercise, before your comas became permanent. My apologies, I had no idea a training exercise could be so dangerous." He looked to his niece, who was crying quietly. "So damaging."

_So that's done. But what are they feeling now? Does M'gann feel guilty? Does Kaldur feel bad about his sacrifice, or Robin about his? How do Des and Artemis feel, about that kiss from chapter 15? Keep reading to find out. _

_Also, I'm going to do some self-promotion here. I've started a new fic, for the cartoon Stoked. It's not a really popular show, and it's been off the air in some countries for a few years. I'd really appreciated if you'd check it out. The show is all about surfers, and it's actually what inspired me to become a surfer myself. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, I hope you'll enjoy my Stoked fic, and I hope you'll keep reading. Special thanks to those that have favorite or reviewed recently._


	17. Counseling

_Author's Note: WOW this one's long! I'm serious, this one was 17 pages on word. If you've got the time, go ahead, but maybe you should bookmark this page if you don't have the time to do it all in one sitting. Anyway, this one is also centered on an actual episode, Disordered, which came after Failsafe. I was always captivated by the therapy sessions, so this chapter will not only be from Desmond's perspective, but the entire team, all the while switching back to Desmond in between. Without further ado:_

**Disclaimer: Desmond is the only thing I own in this story.**

Chapter Seventeen

Counseling

It had been about a week since the training exercise, and the entire team was still shaken up by what had happened. M'gann cried herself to sleep most nights. Both Aqualad and Robin would hardly talk to anyone. Superboy spent more and more time in the training room, getting his aggression out on punching bags. Wally spent most of his time watching TV, but not really paying attention to what was on. Artemis was usually at home, and the few times she did come to the cave were often spent in solitude, or consoling M'gann. Desmond had recently found a way to phase up through the cave, to the peak of Mount Justice. He spent most of his time there, just gazing out around him. There was a view of all of Happy Harbor from here; the water front, the downtown area, his high school. Des, Conner, and Megan had all been called out of school the past week, their "parents" (aka Batman or Black Canary) saying they all had some disease that would take weeks to go away. Desmond supposedly had mono. On this day, Desmond sat at the peak and watched the waves crash into the beach at the foot of the mountain. He closed his eyes, and got a small flashback of the exercise. Images of the alien ships, destroyed towns, Artemis being vaporized. They all flashed through his head, in a different order each time, but often consisting of the same few images. It had been happening to all of them since that day, he knew for a fact. Superboy and Miss Martian had both woken up screaming. When this happened, the three friends would gather in one of their rooms, and wait out the night with each other. Barely speaking, but still comforting. Desmond could only imagine how hard it was for the others, who had no teammates to comfort them in their troubled hours.

After some time pondering these things, Desmond started to get chilly, the October wind blowing fiercely. He sighed heavily, and phased back down through the mountain, into the cave's kitchen. He found the rest of the team there, all silent. M'gann mixed a bowl of some sort of batter. Artemis leaned on the wall, Kaldur sat on a stool by the counter which Wally was slouching over. Robin sat on one of the couches, staring at the floor. Desmond silently moved to a chair, staring at the TV which only showed static. Superboy was currently sitting in the private room behind the waterfall, being spoken to by Black Canary. She was acting as the team's psychologist at the moment, giving each member their turn to vent to her. Desmond could only imagine how the hot-headed Kryptonian was doing with her.

XxXxX

"I can only imagine how devastating it was," Black Canary said in a soothing voice. "Losing your friends—in essence, your family—convinced all the time it was completely real. I'm sure it must've been horrible for you." There was a pause where she left an opening for Conner to state how he was feeling. He didn't take the opportunity, however, so she went on. "I understand. You're Superboy: you're not supposed to have feelings of sadness, or fear, or vulnerability." Conner stood up suddenly, fists clenched at his sides.

"You don't know _what_ I feel," he hissed at her, eyes narrowing. He turned to the door, and began walking away. She called after him. "Just leave me alone!" he said, the door sliding shut behind him.

XxXxX

There was a sudden sound of the lower "garage" opening, and then the rev of an engine. Robin sighed. "That'll be Superboy," he said glumly. The rest of the team nodded, all knowing that Conner was gone for a while. It was better to let him clear his head. The team looked at each other awkwardly.

"Who's next?" asked Wally after a while. Artemis let out a long sigh, and raised her hand.

"I am," she said. "I can't believe we need to do this." The rest of the team shrugged. "How long do you think I have before Canary comes to get me?" Robin glanced at his watch.

"I'd say five minutes," he said. "Why?" Artemis shrugged, and plopped down on her own chair, near Desmond. She released a long sigh, and hung her head. Desmond felt that he should say something, try and console her. But he didn't want to make things worse. He'd never been good at helping people cope, probably because no one had helped him when he was younger. This thought brought his mind to his past, and to Ra's and Talia. He couldn't help but wonder what they were doing right now. Ra's was undoubtedly plotting something with his League of Shadows, and most likely forcing Talia to engage with him. Talia was _not_ evil, but she respected their father far too much for her own good. Just another reason that she and Desmond can never be too close; she would eventually find a way to bring him on to the side of her father, the side of the demon. Desmond's face contorted into a snarl at the thought, and he gripped the edge of the chair tightly. Just then, Canary walked in.

"Artemis," she said quietly, looking at the archer. "You're up." Artemis got up in a huff, and turned to leave. She caught Desmond's eye as she left, and he nodded to her. A smile flickered across her lips, and then she followed Canary out.

XxXxX

"Look," said Artemis, after the two heroines had sat down, face to face. "Me dying during the simulation might have started things going south, but I was Coma Girl. Missed out on all the fun of forgetting it wasn't real, so no trauma, no need for the shrink wrap."

"You're too tough to need help?" Canary asked, raising an eyebrow. Artemis pulled one of her legs onto the chair with her.

"Whatever," she said, pulling the other leg up and looking away from Canary. "Maybe." But Canary wouldn't keep from prying.

"Or maybe too tough to _admit_ you need help," she tried. "Artemis, it's not a sign of weakness to open up to your friends." Artemis gripped her shoulders.

"I know that…" she grumbled.

"But you still keep secrets from them," Canary said smugly. Artemis sat bolt up, her eyes widened.

"You can't tell them!" she said. "You can't!" Then she caught herself and reclined. "Actually… go ahead and tell them. Superboy and Desmond already know, anyway/..." Canary reclined in her chair as well.

"I won't tell them," she said. Even though Artemis had just given permission to reveal the secret, she still breathed a sigh of relief at the news that she could keep the secret a bit longer. "But… about Desmond…" Artemis crossed her arms again and looked away. Canary leaned forward, trying to get Artemis to open up. "Manhunter told me about the kiss." Artemis glared at Canary.

"That was private," she grumbled. "It was the end of the world in there. I just wanted to… get things off my chest." Canary nodded.

"So you _do_ have feelings for Desmond?" Canary tried to clarify. Artemis suddenly stood up, and moved to leave. But first she glanced back at Canary.

"This isn't Gossip Girl, Canary," she spat. "Let's keep my feelings for Desmond out of this, alright?" With that she walked out the door, leaving Canary to think about what she'd gotten out of the young archer.

XxXxX

"I will be next," Kaldur mumbled to no one in particular. Just then, Artemis returned. She sat in the chair she had previously been in, and crossed her arms. Desmond looked to her.

"How'd it go?" he asked quietly. She gave him a look of both annoyance and melancholy, and then quickly looked away. Well, _that_ was confusing. Was it something he'd said? No one said anything after that, and the silence was killing Desmond, so he flicked on the TV. Cat Grant, the news reporter, was at a park in Metropolis, interviewing a middle-aged man. He was talking about something strange that had happened recently in that location.

"There you have it, folks," said Cat, the camera focusing on her again. "That's the eighth person to describe the same thing to us. Some sort of… wormhole opened up here, about ten minutes ago. And out of it came what people are calling a _flying car_. As soon as it was here, it was gone. More on this later. Back to you, Tom." Desmond turned the volume down, and turned to his teammates.

"How much do you want to bet Superboy's gonna get mixed up in that?" he asked. Everyone nodded glumly. The door opened again, and Canary beckoned Aqualad to come with her.

XxXxX

"I was the general, but behaved like a soldier and sacrificed myself," said Aqualad, starring hard at Black Canary. "I am not fit to command, and must resign as leader." There was a short moment of silence.

"Who do you recommend to take your place?" asked Black Canary. Kaldur looked up, and realized he hadn't thought enough about that little detail to his resignation.

"Artemis is too raw, and untrusting," he mused. "Kid Flash too rash and impulsive. Miss Martian remains too eager to please. Superboy Carries too much anger…" Canary intercepted it from there.

"Bringing it to either Desmond or Robin…" she said, hoping Aqualad could find a decision from there. He shook his head.

"Yes…" he began. "But Robin is so young. And Desmond…" Canary leaned forward, pressing for more details. "His past is too mysterious. Do not misunderstand, I trust everyone on this team with my life. But I don't know if I can trust them with _everyone's _lives…" Kaldur realized he had backed himself into a corner with this. "I cannot shift the burden to any of them. It appears I must withdraw my resignation."

XxXxX

Kaldur walked back into the room, but quickly walked through it to another destination.

"I must clear my head," was his only explanation, before he walked out of the kitchen. Wally moved to grab a bag of chips from the pantry, and started snacking away, even though he would need to go inside soon. After him would be Desmond, then Robin, and finally M'gann. Said Martian had put down her mixing bowl, and retired to her room for the time being. Artemis got up from her chair.

"I'm going to go check on M'gann," she informed the rest of the team. They nodded their goodbyes, and she went off to the bedrooms. Wally, Desmond and Robin sat in silence for a moment.

"What do you think they talked about?" Robin asked suddenly. "Artemis, Conner and Kaldur. What do you think Black Canary asked them?" Wally shrugged, shoving more chips into his mouth. He had suddenly become a lot less somber.

"I don't know," he said, with a full mouth. "Regular psychologist stuff. She probably showed Superboy and inkblot, and he saw the S shield. She probably talked fish with Aqualad, and had some girl talk with Artemis." Desmond got up and walked over to Wally.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this?" he asked, a slight amount of anger in his voice. "We're all a wreck, okay? Conner's off being reckless with some flying car, Artemis won't talk to us, Kaldur ditched us, and M'gann's been crying herself to sleep the past week! I can't think straight, and Robin has been like a whole different person. And what about you? You've been quieter than usual too, but now you're making jokes?" Wally held up his hands.

"I'm just trying to lighten the mood," he defended himself. "Come on, Des. I thought you'd get it." Desmond looked away from KF.

"Not this time, Wally," he said. "Not this time." With that said, he phased through the walls and found his bedroom. He shut the door, and plopped down on his already made bed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and plugged his headphones in. Hi music began, and "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley started playing.

"_Well I heard there was a secret chord. That David played, and it pleased the Lord. But you don't really care for music, do you? Well it goes like this, the fourth the fifth. The minor fall, and the major lift. The baffled king composing Hallelujah. Hallelujah… Hallelujah. Hallelujah… Hallelu-u-ujah…"_

XxXxX

"So you want me to believe," said Canary, trying to make sure she understood Wally clearly. "That after everything you went through, including your own death from fiery explosions, you're peachy?"

"I'm fairly certain I never used the word peachy," said Wally, dropping some more popcorn into his mouth from his upside down position on the armchair. Say what you want about Wally, but when he wanted to chill out, he would. "But I think you got the gist. In fact…" he sat up in his chair. "I'd rather talk about you, babe." Canary didn't buy it.

"I heard the conversation you had with Desmond outside," she informed. "Camera's everywhere. Is there anything you want to talk about with that?" Wally looked away.

"I'm not mad at Des, if that's what you're thinking," he said. "I mean… he's right. I was being dumb out there. I guess…" he lost the motivation, so Canary continued.

"You're a funny guy, Wally," she said, with a slight smile. "But I think you might use your humor to cover up when you're hurting. Everyone has coping mechanisms, and cracking jokes is yours." Wally looked to the ground again.

"Yeah," he said solemnly. "But no one's laughing today…"

XxXxX

The first song had ended, and now Desmond was listening to "The Boxer" not the original, but the Mumford and Sons cover. "_In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade. And he carries a reminder of every glove that ever laid him down or cut him, till he cries out, in his anger and his shame; 'I am leaving, I am leaving!' __But the fighter still; remains. Lie la lie! Lie la lie lie la lie lie! Lie la lie! Lie la lie, lie la lie lie, lla la lie lie lie!_" There was a soft knocking on the door, and Desmond called that it was open. Canary walked in.

"Desmond?" she called softly. He pulled off his headphones, and swung his legs off the bed. He followed the heroine to the waterfall encased room, and slumped down on the chair. She sat opposite him. "So how are you doing?" He closed his eyes and sighed. There were a million ways he could have avoided the question, but instead decided to answer it honestly.

"I've been having nightmares…" he said. "Almost every night now. Conner and M'gann have been having them too." Canary smiled, clearly making more progress with Desmond than the others.

"What have they been about?" she asked in a soft voice. She sounded like a mother, trying to console her son after he'd come home from school crying one day. Desmond rubbed his face with his hands.

"Different moments from the exercise," he explained. "Usually I'll see a bunch of the alien ships. The Fortress of Solitude. Smallville. Artemis being…" he couldn't finish. It was embarrassing to admit, but he was getting choked up. Canary leaned even further forward, putting a hand on Desmond's knee.

"Listen," she said soothingly. "I know how hard it can be. To lose someone you're close to. And I'm sure the kiss didn't help." Desmond's eyes widened.

"You know about that?" he asked her, but not with anger in his voice like Artemis had. Canary nodded.

"J'onn told me," she explained. "And I talked to Artemis about it too. She said she wanted to get things off her chest, before the world went to hell. Is there anything that _you_ want to get off your chest?" Desmond averted her gaze.

"I mean, yeah, I like Artemis," he said after a moment. "But I don't want to mess things up, you know? And besides, it's dangerous to get involved with people, with…"

"With Ra's out there?" Canary guessed. Desmond's eyes widened suddenly, and he locked them with Canary's. "Batman told me. Listen Desmond, Ra's is a bad man. He's a terrible man. But that doesn't mean that you'll turn out like him."

"I know that," Desmond stopped her. "That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried that if I have a relationship with Artemis… with anyone… Ra's will take advantage of that. Go through them to get to me." Canary reclined in her seat.

"I see…" she said, and then they sat in silence. "You know, Kaldur almost stepped down from being leader. I asked him who would replace him. It came between you and Robin. But he decided neither of you could take the burden. Robin is too young, and your past is too mysterious. Something to think about…"

XxXxX

Desmond walked out of the room, and told Robin that it was his turn. Then he moved to his room once again as Robin went to join Canary. He sat down in the available chair, and the heroine got right down to it.

"You're hurting, I know," she said. He gazed at his feet for a moment before responding.

"Hurting?" he asked, as if it was a major understatement. "Try traumatized. I finally become leader and end up sending all my friends to their deaths. I-I know I did what I had to, but I hated it. You know, when we started this team, I was _desperate_ to be in charge. Not anymore. And… and that's not even the worst of it. You… you can't tell Batman."

"Nothing leaves this room," Black Canary assured him, keen to hear what else he had to say. The boy wonder had opened up more than anyone else so far.

"I always wanted—expected—to grow up, and become him," Robin said, speaking of course about the Dark Knight. "And the hero bit, I'm still all for that. But that thing, inside of him… that thing that drives him to sacrifice_ everything_ for the sake of his mission… that's not me. I don't want to be _the_ Batman, anymore…"

XxXxX

From his room Desmond heard M'gann's door open, and Robin step inside. He told the Martian that Canary was ready, and she left for the counseling session. Robin left as well, and Desmond took his chance. He walked into the hallway, and quickly found Artemis. They didn't need to say anything. Desmond took her by the hand, lowered his density, and began floating upwards.

XxXxX

"It was all my fault," M'gann said, her voice barely audible. "Hello Megan. Who else could take a simple exercise and turn it into a nightmare? Who terrorizes everyone she cares about?" Suddenly M'gann's skin shifted from its natural green to her Caucasian skin, that of Megan Morse rather than M'gann M'orzz. Canary's eyes widened.

"You've… turned white," she noted. M'gann gasped, and her eyes widened. She stood up, looking at her hands.

"No!" she exclaimed, then caught herself. "Oh… You meant Caucasian. Yeah. I'm fine, being Megan. But I can't be trusted to use my own powers…" She gazed at the floor, just as all of her teammates before her had.

"M'gann, you're a Martian," Black Canary reasoned. "You not using your abilities is like me refusing to speak. Which, by the way, I tried for a while, after my very first Canary Cry nearly deafened my first grade class. So I get how you feel. But not being yourself is _never_ the answer, and won't make your feelings of guilt go away. Learn from what happened; your uncle would be happy to train you. Practice, until you gain control, and regain your confidence." M'gann let a smile cross her face quickly, and nodded.

XxXxX

The rose together to the top of the mountain. Desmond knew there was enough room at the peak for two to stand there, and that's all he planned to do. He noticed Artemis cringe, still not used to the feeling of phasing through walls. He tried to speed up, for her sake. They soon reached the top, and passing through the rock formation that was Mount Justice, they arrived in time to watch the sunset. The sky was painted orange, and the light reflected off the ocean beautifully. Desmond turned to Artemis, and without a word, the two embraced. This was not some kind of hook up at all. They were comforting each other. No words needed to be said at this moment; all they wanted to get across was in that hug. They just stood like statues, not letting go of each other for the longest time. Artemis' shoulders began to shake, signifying she was sobbing. Desmond rubbed her back soothingly and the sobs subsided. They pulled apart slowly, just in time to witness the sun going down all the way, and Happy Harbor bathed in darkness. Artemis looked to Desmond and nodded, and he phased the two of them back down into the cave. They landed in the hallway, and stood there awkwardly for a minute.

"Well, I should go home," said Artemis after a while. "And Des?" His head rose, ad saw that her eyes were focusing intently n his. "Thanks, for everything." With that she planted another kiss on his cheek, much like the one in the exercise, and walked out of the hall towards the Zeta-Tube, leaving Desmond to think about all that's happened.

XxXxX

Superboy got back late that night. He had been out all day, helping the Forever People fight Intergang. Batman would want a report by tomorrow, but first there was something he needed to do. He walked into the waterfall room, where Canary was still waiting, as if she'd known he was going to show up.

"Feeling more open now?" she asked him gently. He took a seat in the chair once again, and began speaking.

"Here's the ugly truth," he said, not daring to make I contact. "I _wasn't_ devastated. Not with Superman, Tornado, you… the whole League dead. Even when I watched Artemis and Kaldur die. Abandoned M'gann. I felt… at peace…" Canary couldn't contain her surprise, and it showed all over her face. Superboy continued. "See, from the moment I first opened my eyes in that Cadmus pod, there's been one thing I wanted, and feared. To know what it is to _be_ Superman. And I know. So I was… I was happy. Everyone I care about dead or traumatized, and I'm happy. How do I get past the guilt of that? How do I live with myself?" Canary looked like she was going to start bawling any second. She reached forward and put a hand on Superboy's leg.

"I don't have any easy answers, Conner," she told him. "But one thing's clear. Admitting it is the first step."

_Now that's done. I should be getting to an original chapter soon. Desmond and Artemis will definitely be getting somewhere, but it won't be anywhere fast. So you people that are all about relationships can stay on the edge of your seats. Also, I'm not sure if you've all figured this out or not, but there will be several characters omitted from this story. Wolf and Sphere aren't in it (though they may show up later…) and there may be characters showing up that normally wouldn't. Just something to keep an eye out for. Anyway, thank you so much for all the positive reviews. Keep 'em coming!_


	18. Boy's Night

_Author's Note: Hey! It's been a while, huh? Well I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, and is excited to read the latest chapter. This one is sort of a filler, but it's a chapter none the less. I hope you enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine!**

Chapter Eighteen

Boy's Night

It had only been three or four days since the sessions with Black Canary, but the team was already getting back on their feet. Things between Desmond and Artemis were… odd. They both liked each other, that was certain, but neither were all that into "mushy lovey-dovey" stuff. So they kept it low key. Occasionally they'd lock eyes and grin at each other like idiots, but that was about it. Currently it didn't matter, however, as Desmond would be going on a mission without Artemis. Or M'gann, for that matter. This mission just happened to be guys only, giving Artemis and Miss Martian the next few days off. The mission had been going well so far. They had been sent in to get info, do some recon, then take out the perp. This was night three, and the boys were certain they'd be back for Halloween, which was in two days.

"Movement spotted," Robin whispered over their com signals. Without M'gann there, they needed to go back to relying on the little ear pieces once again. "Sector six."

"Uh…" said Wally, confused on where sector six actually was. Robin had divided the area up into "simple" sectors, but he seemed to be the only one that remembered them.

"The dock farthest left," Robin explained. The mission had taken them out of their usual patrols of Gotham and Metropolis into a different city. Blüdhaven, a smaller city neighboring Gotham. If Desmond thought there was a lot of crime in Gotham, he hadn't seen anything yet. Their main area consisted of the harbors near the lake that had Gotham on the other side. There had been several suspicious incidents, and Batman suspected the Falcone Gang was behind it. What they were doing away from their home turf Batman was not sure of yet, but that's what Young Justice planned on finding out.

Shifting his attention to the area Robin had mentioned, Desmond saw that there truly was movement there. A man in a large overcoat was stepping off of the large ship near bye. That ship had been docked in the same spot all day, meaning he had been on the ship since the team had gotten there, and was just now coming off. "Aqualad, check it out," Robin suggested.

"On my way," responded Kaldur. He was already stationed underwater, while the others were on roof tops or in back alleys. They waited for Aqualad to swim up near the dock and eavesdrop on the conversation the man with the overcoat was having with a man who appeared to be a dock hand. The first man, the one who got off the boat, was barely moving, but the dock hand was making large gestures, seeming to be angry and confused. The others didn't need for Aqualad to report back, however, as just then the man in the overcoat pulled a gun on the dock hand and shot him in the head. He slumped to his knees, and the overcoat wearing man used his foot to nudge the body into the water, where it splashed heavily. Suddenly Aqualad radioed in. "I trust you all saw that?"

"Oh yeah," said Shifter. "I'd say that's pretty incriminating, wouldn't you guys?" The others gave "mmhmms" of agreement, but Robin wasn't satisfied.

"Clearly he's a bad man," Robin said. "But we're here on a specific mission. We can't go around stopping street crime when we have a main objective to deal with. But keep an eye on him, for sure." The rest of the boys agreed, and they began watching the man intently. He walked over to the large lighthouse situated at the end of the docks, and entered, blocking the team from seeing him. They waited a moment, and then realized what the man was doing. The light on top of the tower began flashing erratically. "That's a signal," said Robin. "He's calling in more guys. We should—" But he didn't get the chance to continue, for just then a large explosion occurred at the top of the tower, taking out the light, and enveloping the area in darkness.

"What was that?" asked Superboy, sounding ready for action. Kaldur sprang into leader mode.

"Kid Flash, Shifter," he ordered. "Get in there. Find out what happened. Avoid conflict if you can." Des and Wally both nodded (to no one in particular) and jumped into the fray. KF sped to the tower while Desmond jumped from his position atop a building and glided over, his density lowered extremely. The two heroes arrived at the door, and upon pulling it open, discovered something very unexpected. The man in the overcoat was lying on the floor, unconscious, being stood over by another man. Well, a teen, technically. He had red hair, like Wally's, and a red and black suit. His back had a quiver of arrows, and he had a bow pointed at Desmond. But his eyes widened when he noticed Kid Flash, and he dropped the weapon. Desmond was confused by this, but more confused by what happened next.

"Roy!" exclaimed Kid Flash, completely letting his guard down and moving over to the teen. He wrapped his arms around the taller boy's body, and the archer did the same. "I haven't seen you in _months_!" The other boy smiled as the two pulled away.

"It's been too long, Wally," he agreed. Then his gaze shifted to Desmond, who was still in an attacking stance. "Who's your friend?" Wally smiled, and pulled Desmond over, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"Where are my manners?" he asked. "Roy, this is Desmond. He also goes by Shifter. Des, this is Roy, aka Red Arrow, aka Speedy. But he doesn't like that one anymore." He said. Roy/Red Arrow held out a hand to Desmond.

"Nice to meet you, Desmond," he said. Desmond sensed conflicting emotions in his voice. It sounded like he was trying to convey to different messages to Des and Wally; trying to please one and threaten the other. Desmond had a feeling he knew which was which. But he shook the hand anyway, as KF radioed the others.

"Guys," he said excitedly. "You'll _never_ guess who just showed up!" The other members showed up, and Robin and Kaldur reacted pretty much like Wally had. Superboy, however, was not as ecstatic.

"So what's this guy's story?" Desmond asked his Kryptonian friend, in a whisper of course. Conner answered, his voice barely audible.

"The four of them used to be sidekicks," he explained. "They were sort of best friends back then." Well Desmond knew Kaldur, Robin and Wally had been sidekicks, but he'd never heard of Red Arrow. Then he remembered that Wally had also called him Speedy, and he remembered that Speedy used to be Green Arrow's sidekick.

"He was with GA before Artemis?" Desmond asked, confirming his thought. Superboy nodded. "Then why isn't he on the team?" Desmond must have not been talking quiet enough, because Red Arrow intercepted the question.

"It's a long and private story," he said coldly. Desmond could already tell he and Roy would not be getting along easily. "Now let's get down to business."

"What do you mean?" asked Aqualad.

"I've been tracking these guy's movements for longer than you have," he explained. "If you're all here, we might as well work together, so I'll fill you in on what I know. The Falcone gang have struck up a deal with someone. They give him large amounts of cash and weapons, and he gives them power."

"Power?" asked Wally. "Because the city shut off their electricity?" Red Arrow was not amused at the joke.

"All they said," he continued talking, as if Wally hadn't said anything. "Is that 'the stuff' will give one member of their gang the strength of ten men. And with their gang steadily gaining more and more members, we could be looking at a plan to take over Gotham."

"Bats won't like that…" Robin mused.

"Do you know when this transaction will take place?" Aqualad asked. "Perhaps we can stage an ambush, and take them by surprise. Perhaps this power could be beneficial to the team or the League." Red Arrow nodded curtly.

"Tonight," he said, making the other's eyes widen. "Half past midnight. I was planning an ambush myself, but I could definitely use your skills." Desmond did _not_ like his attitude.

"Damn right you could," he mumbled to himself. Roy didn't hear (or acted like he didn't) and moved on.

"We have an hour and a half," he said, glancing at his watch. "If we set up positions we can be sure there are no entrances or exits to the harbor. Once they come in, we'll apprehend their boss, and hopefully take out the supplier of this _power_."

"Sounds easy enough," said Superboy. Roy shook his head.

"I wish," he said glumly. "Only one problem. This guy," he gestured to the unconscious man on the ground, who was mumbling something about pancakes at this point. "Was supposed to signal the others to show up. The signal got through, but he was also supposed to meet their leader when he got on the dock. I didn't knock him unconscious; he fell from the top and landed on his head down here. With him out of capacity, I don't know how we'll get the others onto the docks." No one said anything for a moment, deep in thought. Then Desmond held up his hand.

"I think I can be of some service," he said, and moved towards the unconscious man. "Give me some space." The others took a few steps back, and Roy raised an eyebrow. Desmond took a deep breath and lowered his density to a point where he would be lighter than water. Then he laid his body down on top of the unconscious man, and there was a flash of white before his eyes. He suddenly felt very dizzy, but it was subsiding quickly. Slowly he propped himself up and looked at his hands to make sure his plan worked. He saw the gloved fingers of the previously unconscious man.

"Desmond?" asked Wally incredulously. No one else knew of the recent 'development' Desmond had learned about. He had told them about the flight, but not this. Desmond nodded the man's head.

"Yep," he said, his voice coming out low and gruff. "Listen, it's a really long story. Batman had a theory about my powers and, well, ta-da." The others exchanged some looks and nodded with each other. Red Arrow rubbed his chin.

"Alright," he mused. "Yeah. This could work. You'll need to do some improvising until we can capture them, but I think this might actually work out." Desmond gave a thumbs up to the archer.

"Everyone take a position," Aqualad advised, and the team dispersed. Red Arrow hung back while they filed out, and as Desmond was about to exit, he came up behind him. It was just the two of them left, so he didn't need to whisper.

"Listen closely," he said, in a threatening tone. "I _don't_ trust you, and I don't trust that Cadmus clone. I also don't trust your Martian friend, or Green Arrow's new lackey. I'll be keeping an eye on you. All of you." Desmond spun around.

"You've got a lot of nerve," he said, trying to sound threatening. "You're not even on the team! Who are you to say who is trustworthy or not? And when the others find out—" Red Arrow grabbed Desmond by the man he was inside of's jacket.

"Breathe a word of this to anyone, and it'll be the last thing you do," he whispered, his mouth next to Desmond's ear. "I have it on good authority there's a mole on the team, and you four are my main suspects. Don't let this interfere with the mission, and we won't have a problem, understand?" He pushed Desmond away. Desmond swore that if he weren't in this body and still had his powers he would drag this archer so far underground he'd find dinosaur bones. But instead of that he just snarled and walked outside, waiting for the other members of the Falcone gang to arrive.

XxXxX

Desmond stood on the edge of the dock, watching a large ship slowly roll into the harbor. Upon searching the unconscious man's body, Desmond learned he was inside a man named Larry Styles. So Desmond, or Larry, waited patiently. The earpiece the team used to communicate seemed to still be functioning, even from inside Larry.

"You ready, Des?" asked Wally apprehensively. Desmond let out a long breath.

"I think so," he said. Red Arrow interrupted.

"Well you'd better _know_ so," he demanded harshly. Larry scowled as Roy continued. "If you blow this, you will need to report back to Batman that _you_ failed the mission."

"Cut him some slack!" said Superboy. Desmond had to smile; it was good to know that the Kryptonian had his back. "This plan is a long shot, but at least it's a plan at all. If Des didn't help you'd be stuck with an unconscious contact, and a ship full of angry gang members to worry about."

"Red Arrow, Superboy, shush," commanded Aqualad coolly. "They have arrived." Desmond watched as the ship came to a stop, and a man in a suit stepped out. He wore sunglasses, despite the darkness of the night. He walked up to Desmond, and Aqualad reassured him. "Desmond, just keep him talking for a minute or so. Enough time for you to get some information, and so I can get onto that ship." Desmond nodded, though he knew Aqualad couldn't see it. Just then the man in the suit got to where Desmond was standing, and held up a hand for him to shake.

"Styles," he said smoothly. His voice sounded soft yet commanding, and like it was hiding a large amount of malice and anger. Larry Styles shook the man's hand.

"Uh… boss," Styles tried. The man said nothing to correct him, so he assumed this man was in fact their boss. "So, uh, where's the other guy?" Desmond hoped the others on his team were getting this. His earpiece should be picking it up, but things could always go wrong. The boss chuckled.

"Come on now, Styles," he said, smiling cockily. "You know he ain't just gonna walk out here like that. But I'll bet'cha he's near. We've just gotta call him out." With that the man in the suit turned to the ship, and called upwards. "Alright boys! Light it up!" Suddenly someone on the ship wheeled three large floodlights to the ship's bow (aka the front, for those who aren't boat savvy) and light them up. They illuminated the previously darkened dock yard, and Desmond held his breath in fear his friends—and Red Arrow—would be discovered. The lights went off quickly, however, and then flashed several more times, then shut off for good.

"Now what?" asked Larry. The boss man held up a finger, and then pointed skyward as the sound of helicopter overhead could now be heard. Desmond watched as the helicopter lowered further towards the ground, but before it touched down someone jumped out. Actually, some_thing_ jumped out. It landed on the ground, causing a gigantic crater to form. Through the dim light Desmond saw it was not a human by any means. The figure was at least eight feet tall, and a scaly looking blue, with streaks of red that appeared to be opening in its flesh.

"That's Blockbuster!" exclaimed Robin quietly. "An ex-Cadmus scientist. He used to go by Dr. Desmond." Larry's eyes widened at the name, and he hoped the Falcone mobster wouldn't notice.

"Some coincidence, huh?" Red Arrow said, sounding like he thought it was anything but. Desmond gritted his teeth as he watched the helicopter lower even further, and a man in a lab coat stepping out of it. He carried a large metal case at his side, and Desmond realized this must be the 'power' Red Arrow had mentioned. The Falcone boss led Larry to the two new arrivals. The lad coated man held out his hand, and the Falcone member shook.

"Carmine Falcone," said the man in the lab coat, giving Desmond the name of his 'boss.' "Pleasure to meet you in person, at long last."

"I assume you're the one I spoke with," Falcone said, still shaking hands. "Roland Desmond, correct?" The man with the coat nodded, and Desmond confirmed yet another identity.

"And this _beautiful_ creature," he said, gesturing to Blockbuster. "Is not only my brother, Mark, but a sample of the power your gang stands to gain." With that, Roland Desmond lifted the large metal case, and opened it up. Inside were twenty or so phials of a blue serum. From his earpiece Desmond heard a gasp.

"That's Blockbuster Formula!" Robin exclaimed quietly. "That must be what the 'power' is." Kid Flash picked up the conversation.

"Seems like doing business with Bane wasn't enough," he reasoned. "Cadmus moved on to bigger and better clients."

"If the Falcone gang gains such power," Aqualad mused. "The advantage over the police and the League would be enormous. We need to stop this, now!" Superboy didn't need to hear more than that, and he sprang from his hiding spot, shouting as he did so. Carmine Falcone's eyes widened, and he turned to Larry.

"Come on, Styles!" he shouted. "Pull out that semi-automatic and go to town!" Larry smiled and shook his head, and Desmond seized his chance. He phased out of the body, letting the gang member fall into his boss's arms. As he was caught off guard, Falcone stumbled backwards. Desmond grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, and hardened himself. He flung the mobster across the dock, where he crashed into a large crate full of buoys, and he slumped to the ground. Roland Desmond had shut the case and was rushing back to his helicopter, when two batarangs flung by Robin tripped him up. Superboy was dealing with Blockbuster, and Robin was tying up Roland, so that left Shifter, Red Arrow, KF and Aqualad to deal with the rest of Falcone's backup.

"Shifter," called Aqualad, having summoned some water up out of the lake. "Maneuver twelve!" Desmond nodded, lowered his density, and jumped atop the small geyser Aqualad was creating. He was pushed straight up, and once he was level with the ship, he jumped off the water and onto the boat. Touching down, he immediately hardened himself once more. Just in time, too, as three mobsters open fired on him with machine guns. Bullets bounced off of Desmond's skin as he made his way to his enemies. He picked up the first of the men, and flung him off the boat into the lake. The next went flying to the back of the ship, where he hit his head, and lost conscious ness. The third, realizing what was coming, stopped firing and held up his hands. Desmond grinned, and lowered his density.

"Sorry about this," he lied. Phasing through the ship, he moved under the gang member and yanked him down halfway through, so his legs dangled out of the bottom while his arms and head were stuck up top. Desmond returned to the top in time to see four more mobsters running at him. There was a blur of black before his eyes, and two of the gang members were on the floor. Kid Flash zipped around again, and stood next to Des. Just then two arrows came out of nowhere, exploding into foam at the gang member's feet. Red Arrow stepped out of the shadows, and nodded to Desmond and Wally.

"How're things going down there?" he radioed to Robin, but the entire team could hear. There was no response, just a few grunts. Then there was a roar. The teens on the ship rushed to the edge in time to see Robin go flying across the shipyard. Blockbuster had flung him away from the helicopter. Wait… no… Superboy was still fighting Blockbuster. But there he was, standing where Robin had just been trying to tie up…

"It's Roland!" said Desmond suddenly, realizing what was going on. "Roland must've taken some of the Blockbuster serum to fight his way out of it!"

"Let's get in there!" shouted Wally, zipping down the side of the ship. Desmond looked to Red Arrow, and shrugged, jumping off the side of the ship. He landed on the dock, causing some of the wood to splinter, and took off at a dead sprint at Blockbuster 2. Wally was spinning in circles around him, and Roy zip-lined over to where Robin was lying down. Shifter jumped over Wally, still running in circles, and landed a punch on Blockbuster 2's face. The blue monstrosity fell to the ground with a roar, but quickly got back up. Wally ran at him and smashed his shoulder into the monster's stomach, but it didn't seem to do much. Blockbuster 2 grabbed Kid Flash by the waist and flung him into Shifter. The two tumbled over each other towards the docks. Aqualad emerged from the lake, a giant spinning whirlpool following behind him. He commanded to the water to lift up Blockbuster 2, and it flung him at his brother. Both Dr. Desmonds roared as the fell over each other. Superboy continued to pound away at them both, and Shifter quickly joined the fray. The two heroes pummeled the ex-scientists until they eventually stopped struggling. Aqualad quickly made a call to the League that they captured both Blockbusters, and they needed to get the two monsters to a holding facility. Red Arrow and Robin walked over.

"Where's Carmine Falcone?" asked Robin, rubbing his head. All eyes landed on Desmond, who had been the only one that got close enough to him to capture him. Desmond immediately realized his mistake, and avoided eye contact with the others.

"He must've gotten away…" he said sheepishly. The others exchanged looks, and Wally placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No biggie, Des," he said reassuringly. "So you made a mistake, big deal! At least we got these two deadbeats." He kicked at one of the now unconscious Blockbusters. Desmond smiled as the team moved to leave. They said their goodbyes to Red Arrow (all except Superboy, that is) and Desmond felt he should try and make amends. He was the last person to get to the Bio-Ship (which M'gann had let them borrow) and was the only one around Red Arrow at the time. He held out his hand to shake, but Red Arrow leaned in close to Desmond's ear again.

"I'm not so sure you _accidently_ let Falcone go," he whispered fiercely. "You're not who you say you are, and neither is my replacement, Artemis. You've both got secrets, and I won't rest until I know what they are." He gently shoved Desmond back, and pulled out a zip-line launcher. He fired it off, and was gone into the darkened rooftops of Blüdhaven. He H

_So Red Arrow and Desmond do NOT get along well. But can you really blame them? Red Arrow's a paranoid recluse, and Desmond has a secret to hide. Well, maybe they'll get over it one day. Or maybe not… Who knows? All that I know is that they don't see eye to eye… on anything. Anyway, thank you for reading. Please review and favorite, and I'll try to update more often!_


	19. All Hollow's Eve

**Disclaimer: I own nothing besides Desmond.**

Chapter Nineteen

All Hollow's Eve

It was shaping up to be a good Halloween for Young Justice. Des, Conner and Megan's school was throwing a party, and the whole team was going. Well, not Robin or Kaldur; Robin had business in Gotham, and Kaldur said something about 'Atlantian Halloween' or something like that. So it would be Des, Conner, Megan, Wally, Artemis, and Zatana, who Megan had decided to invite as well. First thing was first, and that had been explaining Halloween to Conner. He wasn't really sure what the appeal of costumes and candy was, especially to the other members of his team, who wore costumes every day. But they got through his thick skull, and got to picking out costumes. It took some thinking, but after a while everyone picked something they liked. Conner was a mummy, wrapped up chiefly by M'gann, who was going as a zombie. Wally was being Teen Wolf, which was by far the funniest of the costumes. Zatana, appropriately, was going as a witch. Artemis had considered being a vampire, or Robin Hood, but didn't like either. Desmond interjected, and made a solid argument.

"If I go as Robin Hood," he propositioned. "Then _you_ go as my Maid Marian." Artemis smiled. This was the perfect idea. They were still at a weird stage relationship wise, but this was something that would ease them into it. No pressure, no real expectations, just some innocent fun.

"It's a deal," she said, and the two had gotten their costumes later that day. Now it was about twenty minutes before the dance, and everyone converged on the cave. Des and Wally sat around while M'gann finished wrapping Conner. He kept fidgeting, and Wally would occasionally make remarks about the rest of the team putting a damper on their 'date.' Desmond and Conner rolled their eyes, still not telling Wally the truth. Suddenly the Zeta-tubes flashed brightly.

"Recognized, Artemis, B07," it blared. "Zatana Zatara, B08." The girls walked in, complimenting each other on their costumes. Desmond couldn't take his eyes off Artemis. She looked _good_! Desmond had initially been afraid the old fashioned garments might have been unflattering to Artemis, but the contrary was true. She looked amazing, and Desmond felt inadequate in his green vest and quiver. But Artemis smiled as she approached, and Desmond couldn't help but grin as well.

"You look like Green Arrow," she said after a minute. "But… in a cute way." Desmond's smile broadened as he stood to greet his sort-of-date. Just then, Batman Zeta-beamed in as well.

"Uh, hi Batman," said Superboy, trying not to look dumb covered in toilet paper. "Robin already left for Gotham." Batman held up a hand.

"That's not why I'm here," he said. He adopted a stern expression. "I know it's a holiday. And I know you all have the night off. But please, keep your communicators on you at all times. You never know when evil might strike." With that, he turned and left. The team exchanged a few confused looks, but then made a collective shrug, and continued the preparations, before finally leaving for Happy Harbor High.

XxXxX

The dance was already in full swing when they arrived. The lights were dimmed, the music was pumping, and all the teens were dancing or chatting to each other. Wally immediately started making moves on Desmond's classmates, but it was evident Zatana and Artemis weren't nearly as comfortable as their friends. Desmond put an arm around Artemis' shoulder and dragged her towards some of his friends, and M'gann did the same with Zatana. Mal, Wendy and Marvin were chatting away when the heroes approached them. Much to Superboy's distaste, almost _everyone_ was wearing a superhero costume. Wendy was Black Canary (and rocking it, Desmond might add) Marvin was Batman (ironic, due to their opposite personalities) and Mal was, believe it or not, Superman. Or some form of him, as he was also wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket. Besides them, Desmond spotted Wonder Woman, Flash, Hawkman, and many others. Someone even went as Shaggy from Scooby Doo. M'gann and Wendy immediately started complimenting each other, while Mal, Conner, and Desmond sized each other up.

"Burn victim and Green Arrow?" Mal guessed.

"Robin Hood," Robin corrected.

"Mummy," said Conner. "What're you?" Mal smiled and stepped back, spreading his arms wide.

"Superman," he said. "Done right." Conner and Des rolled their eyes. Mal didn't notice, however, as he was too busy checking out Artemis, who was desperately trying to avoid his eye contact. He moved towards her. "Hey hottie. Who're _you_ supposed to be?" Artemis grinned and stepped closer to Desmond.

"Maid Marian," she said. Then she wrapped an arm around Desmond's waist. "You know, Robin Hood's girl. I've always had a _thing_ for archers." Desmond and Artemis shared a smirk at Mal's clearly disappointed expression.

"Guys," M'gann said, addressing the team members who didn't attend Happy Harbor. "This is Mal, Wendy, and Marvin." She then held a hand and gestured to the team members. "And this is Artemis, Wally and…" they realized Zatana didn't have a secret identity.

"Joan," she said suddenly. The other teammates exchanged some glances, but eventually shrugged it off. The next hour or so was spent dancing away, talking, getting punch. Dance stuff. There was, at long last, a slow dance. Desmond awkwardly moved to Artemis, who smiled and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, lover boy," she said jokingly, pulling him onto the dance floor. 'You and Me' by Lifehouse was playing, and Artemis immediately took to swaying rhythmically with Desmond's hands on her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he caught a quick glance of Conner and Wally, both giving him thumbs ups. He smiled, and the two continued to sway back and forth. Desmond gently rested his head on hers, and wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. They just swayed there, but it was pretty damn near perfect. Then there was a ringing in Desmond's ear, signifying that he was needed elsewhere.

"Do you hear that too?" Desmond whispered to Artemis. She sighed and nodded, pulling her head off his shoulder.

"Yeah," she said, not even trying to hide the depressed tone in her voice. "It's Batman. Says he needs us in Gotham." They begrudgingly moved off the dance floor and found their teammates. As they walked to the exit, Artemis exchanged a look with Desmond. "It was fun while it lasted."

XxXxX

They had their assignment, and found they would be moving from one party to another. Calendar Man, a villain notorious for causing havoc on holidays or notable dates, was planning on assassinating the mayor of Gotham, Hamilton Hill. Hill would be at a party at the Regal Hotel, and Batman had reason to believe Calendar Man would be joining him. He had told the team he shouldn't be hard to find, as the man had a flare for the theatrical. They were tasked with finding the villain, and capturing him, but they couldn't alert the guests. A hotel full of flustered upper-classers could prove to be just the distraction Calendar Man needed to off the mayor. For this mission, conveniently, they could stay in their costumes. The Bio-ship arrived at the location, and the team deployed. They walked in the front door, and were greeted with a man who at once asked for their names, and what exactly they were doing at a 'grown up party.'

"We're friends of Dick Grayson," said Wally, out of nowhere. The man stood straight up, and quickly pulled a guest book out. He handed it to Wally, while the rest of the team looked confused.

"My mistake, sir," said the man. "I was not aware. Master Grayson is not here, I'm afraid, but any friends of his are welcome. If you would kindly sign the guest book, I'll let you on your way." Wally smiled and took the book, passing it along through the team. They had no idea who this 'Dick Grayson' was, or why being his friend would gain them entrance, but they decided to go with it. Desmond got the guest book, and as he went to sign his name, something caught his eye.

"Look who's here," he whispered showing the book to Artemis. He pointed to a name a few spaces above them. "Julian Gregory Day. Calendar Man." Artemis nodded as she signed her name under Desmond's, and passed the book to Conner.

"He's nothing if not theatrical," she noted. Desmond nodded, and the team entered into the party room. It was a very extravagant affair; streamers and confetti everywhere, and Gotham's most influential shakers and movers partying it up under one roof. Everyone wore costumes, and Desmond was sure Calendar Man would be in one as well. Coincidentally, several of these men and women were also dressed as heroes, but not as all out as the teens had been. A Batman mask here, a Superman colored jacket there, and the occasional cape. The others were mostly dressed in fine clothes and decorative masks.

"Calendar Man shouldn't be too easy to find," Wally reasoned. "He's a big guy. And if what everyone says is true, he isn't one to blend in with the crowd." They nodded at this idea.

"You guys realize we don't have an official leader here, right?" Desmond noted. "Kaldur and Robin are both off somewhere else."

"So?" asked M'gann. "Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to prove ourselves. Kaldur won't be leader forever you know." She then mentally linked everyone. _Now let's split up, and look for a clue that'll lead us to Calendar Man._

_Sure thing, Freddy,_ thought Wally. Desmond couldn't help but chuckle as Wally compared M'gann to the Scooby Doo character. The funny seemed to be lost on M'gann, however, so they let it go. Wally sighed. _Me and Des will take the ground floor._ Desmond nodded in agreement.

_Okay, then Conner and I will take the basement,_ M'gann said. _Artemis, Zatana, you guys okay with the top floor?_ The girls nodded, and the whole team shared looks of good luck, and then departed. Wally and Desmond wound their way through the throngs of dancing rich folk, trying not to disturb anyone.

"What do you think he's wearing?" Desmond asked. "Calendar Man, I mean." Wally thought for a minute.

"The guy's clever," he said at last. "It'll be a costume with some sort of significant meaning. Look out for costumes that actually take a second to figure out." Desmond nodded, and they continued the search. Just then, Conner called in.

_Any luck yet?_ He called. When everyone else responded in the negative, he sighed. _Us either. We think that… wait, M'gann just found something…_ M'gann took over from there.

_Guys?_ She said, sounding confused. _I might have found something we can use. There's a note here. All it says is 'the blind world.' Mean anything to you?_

_Inferno,_ Desmond said. _In Inferno by Dante Alighieri, the poet Virgil says to Dante 'Let us descend now into the blind world. So… Calendar Man is ripping off Dante?_

_Maybe…_ thought Artemis. _That sounds like it isn't the whole clue. Maybe there's more._ This reasoning made sense, and the team had decided to continue the search. Just then, however, the lights were cut, and the room was filled with startled gasps, and a few screams.

_Guys,_ said Kid Flash, apprehensively. _You might want to get over here. Something's about to go down._ Just then a voice came on in the room, sounding like it was coming from a PA system.

"Let us descend now, into the blind world," it said, signifying that Desmond's hunch had been correct. The lights were still out, but there was no doubt this was Calendar Man. "I will be first, and thou shalt second be." He continued, but now he began switching around lines of the epic poem, picking ones that fit his occasion. "The darkest places in Hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of crisis." Now it made sense. Calendar Man was punishing those who would be voting for Mayor Hamilton in the upcoming election. Hamilton was a main beneficiary of Arkham Asylum. With him out of the picture, the freaks would be free. "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." There was a sudden scream, and the lights went back on suddenly. Desmond realized two things. One, the rest of the team was there. And two, the room was much emptier than it had been previously. Several guests had been abducted. Then there was another scream, from above this time, and everyone in the room looked to the ceiling. From the rafters of the high ceiling dropped a dozen men and women, bound and gagged, knots of rope tied around their ankles. The team sprang into action.

"Artemis, M'gann, get the hostages down," Desmond said, suddenly taking charge. "Wally, crowd control. Zatana, Conner, we'll find Calendar Man. Superboy, can you—"

"Already on it," the Kryptonian said, using his x-ray vision to scan for Calendar Man. In a moment, he pointed to a place in the ceiling. "He's a floor above us. There's a trapdoor on the rafters, that's how he dropped the hostages." Desmond nodded.

"Let's go!" Artemis began shooting the ropes down, and M'gann would levitate them down. Kid Flash began calming down the wealthy party goers. Zatana waved her hands in front of Shifter and Superboy.

"Etativel su eerht!" she proclaimed. The three heroes began levitating towards the area Superboy had pointed out. They reached the ceiling, and the Kryptonian and the magician locked hands with Desmond, who phased the three of them through into the next floor. They found themselves in a storage room of sorts, and quickly spotted Calendar Man. He was dressed in flowing white robes, and a green wreath was placed upon his chubby head.

"He's dressed as Virgil," Desmond reasoned. "The ghostly poet that guided Dante through Hell and back." Calendar Man chuckled.

"You are well read, young hero," he said, giving Desmond a small clap. "And just as Virgil guided Dante through Hell, so too shall I guide our beloved Mayor Hill to Hell, on this All Hollow's Eve." He pulled a large switch that was at his feet, and the large tarp that had been behind him was removed, showing the heroes a death trap that Calendar Man set up. Mayor Hamilton Hill hung suspended above a pit of fire, decorated to look like a Jack-o-Lantern. Thus bringing the scheme back to the date, Halloween.

"Zatana, deal with those flames," Desmond commanded. "Superboy, maneuver twelve!" Superboy nodded, and grabbed onto Desmond's hands. The Kryptonian flung his friend at Calendar Man, and Desmond collided with him, knocking him off the platform he'd been standing on.

"Hsiugnitxe semalf!" shouted Zatana, and the flames beneath the helpless mayor were quickly doused. Desmond grabbed Calendar Man by his chubby neck, and was about to pound his face in, when he held up a finger.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," he warned. "You see, there is a bomb currently inside of poor Mayor Hill. It's at around his esophagus. Once it reaches his stomach, well, kaboom! I'm the only one that has the code. Let me go, and I'll tell you what it is. Don't, and you'll need to figure it out yourselves." Desmond exchanged a look with Superboy and Zatana, and they both shook their heads.

"Sorry, Day," said Desmond. "We're not buying it. Happy Halloween." He punched Calendar Man in the face, and the body went limp. Desmond dropped the unconscious body on the ground, and went to un-gag Mayor Hill. As soon as he did, the mayor started shrieking.

"You IDIOT!" he shouted. "There _is_ a bomb inside of me! He knew the combination, and now he's out cold!" Desmond's eyes were wide, as were his friends'. They had all assumed that the bomb was a bluff. Desmond sighed.

"Okay," he said, coming up with an idea. "Hold your breath, Mayor Hill." Desmond closed his eyes, lowered his density, and plunged his hand into the mayor's stomach. The poor man made a sound like he was about to vomit, and Desmond found the bomb. It was a small metal disk, and as he pulled it out, Desmond noticed the countdown timer. They had forty five seconds before it blew up. That wasn't enough time to get it out of the hotel, or away from the innocents.

"What could the code be?" Superboy asked. Zatana tried defusing the bomb with a spell, but it seemed to be impervious to everything. Calendar Man took his precautions seriously. Desmond looked at the dial. There were three sections, the first two having two slots for numbers, and the last one having four slots.

"It's got to be a date," Desmond reasoned. "Knowing Calendar Man, the first two slots are 10 and 31, for Halloween. The last one…"

"When was the first Halloween?" asked Zatana, as she watched the timer hit twenty seconds. Desmond quickly pulled out his phone. It was no holo-computer which Robin would have, but it did have Google. He quickly searched for the date of the first Halloween.

"1556," he said. "October, 31st, 1556." He entered this date, and the timer froze at four seconds left. Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Mayor Hill was sweating.

"Thank you, kids," he said. "Thank all of you, so much." Desmond smiled.

"It's our job, sir," he said. "We're Young Justice." As cool as that line was, something had to ruin the moment. It came in the form of Superboy.

"Uh, Shifter…" he said slowly. "Calendar Man is gone." Desmond's eyes grew wide as he whirled around, looking for the villain who was nowhere to be found. Suddenly Artemis, Miss Martian and Kid Flash rushed in.

"Calendar Man's gone," said Artemis, and when she was met with nods from the others, she held something in her hand. It was a note. She opened it, and read it aloud. "'Come November, what will you be thankful for?'" This was clearly a clue to the next time he would strike.

"Give it to Batman," said KF after a moment of silence. "I've had enough of this guy for at least the holiday season."He H

_That was weird writing a Halloween themed chapter after Halloween has already happened. It'll be weirder writing the other holiday episodes after their holidays had passed. Either way, it was still fun. I hoped you all enjoyed, and continue to read and review!_


	20. Vanished

_Author's Note: Hi everyone. This might be the last one for a week or so (maybe shorter than that, but just in case) so I hope you enjoy. This one too is an actual episode, so I'll try and make more original ones soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoy._

**Disclaimer: These things are NOT mine.**

Chapter Twenty

Vanished

The next few days went by uneventfully. Desmond had filled out a mission report for Batman on the Calendar Man fiasco, and after that the team had some time off. When asked on how they spent their Halloweens, both Robin and Kaldur made a few vague statements, and the others decided not to pry. On this day the team had gone to pick up a few deliveries Batman needed. Mostly new equipment for the cave, but M'gann had insisted on stopping for groceries as well. The Bio-ship opened, and Conner and Desmond began unloading the heavy boxes. Wally greedily began rifling through the grocery bags that M'gann had levitated into the cave. Zatara had joined in the process of setting up the new equipment, and had brought Zatana along. She was chatting with Artemis.

"Glad you're back, Zatana," the archer said. "Does this mean you're officially joining the team?" Zatara levitated some boxes out of the room, followed by Red Tornado. Zatana crossed her arms.

"I don't know," she said, sounding exasperated. "Zatara's _so_ overprotective. I mean, just getting him to let me visit takes a full day's wheedling. I wish he'd just give me a little space!" As if on cue, there was a blinding light, and when it died down Zatara, Tornado and Batman had vanished. A box crashed to the floor as the team gave a collective gasp.

"Dad?" shouted Zatana.

"Batman?" Robin called out. There was no response. The boy wonder quickly tried calling his mentor, but the look of distress on his face showed there was no one on the receiving end. Desmond ran to the holo-computer.

"Cave to Watchtower," Desmond said, trying to get a signal through. "Come in Watchtower. Come in anyone!" There was no response, not even a flicker. He turned to face the others. M'gann had a look of concentration on her face.

"I can't reach my uncle J'onn either," she said at last. "It's like they… don't even exist…" That sentence hung in the air for a moment, as the team silently exchanged glances. "Who would've been able to take out the _whole_ League?" Robin held up a hand.

"Not just the League," he said. "Reports are flooding in from kids all over the world. It seems like all the adults just… vanished." They exchanged more looks, their eyes wide. They needed a plan.

XxXxX

Desmond opened the doors of his gymnasium, carrying a small girl in his arms. She wouldn't stop crying, and he needed to get her to someone more suited for this kind of thing. The team had set up a refuge in Happy Harbor High, and Desmond, Megan, Wally, and Conner were out on the streets, collecting kids from zero to seventeen, and making sure they got safely to the high school. He carried the wailing girl to Artemis, who was surrounded by small children already. She was trying to sing a nursery rhyme, and failing horribly. The kids didn't mind, however, and actually found it kind of funny. Desmond set the screaming girl down, and moved next to Artemis.

"Nice job with those nursery rhymes, Mother Goose," he teased her. She slugged him gently in the arm.

"Sorry I don't know them, okay?" she said. "Sportsmaster wasn't really a 'goodnight sleep tight' kind of guy." Desmond nodded.

"Like Ra's was tucking me in at night," he joked. Just then, Wally and Megan walked in, each carrying a child as well. Des and Artemis stopped talking, realizing that these two didn't know the truth about their pasts. The boy Wally was carrying offered him his Sippy cup, and Wally daintily accepted it.

"Did you call home?" Artemis said. Wally looked down, signifying there was no answer. "You could always Zeta there."

"I've been collecting kids all day," he said somberly. "I don't need to see another empty house." Just then, Wendy ran over. Since the team weren't in their costumes for this job, it was fine that she approached them as civilians.

"Megan, Desmond," she said, sounding exhausted. Wendy had offered to take charge of the youngest kids when Young Justice had proposed a refuge at the high school. "We just got four more kids under the age of two, and we're running low on diapers." Megan and Desmond instantly looked to Wally, who sighed.

"I'm on it," he said, and left the gym once again. Desmond knew that once he was away from people who could see, he would zip away to the nearest store. Wendy looked back to her classmates.

"It's a good thing you guys decided to do here," she said honestly. "Do… do you think the adults will come back?" They exchanged some looks.

"I think so," said Artemis. "Someone will save them."

"Oh yeah?" asked Wendy. "The League's gone too, remember?" Desmond, M'gann and Artemis exchanged looks, not wanting to show any connection to the only team remaining, Young Justice. Just then, Conner barged in the gym, with three children hanging from his upper body.

"Got three more," he said.

XxXxX

As Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash finished their PSA to the kids of the world, they moved away from the cameras. This situation gave Desmond a serious sense of déjà vu, and he had a brief flash of the exercise from weeks ago. He took a quick glance towards Artemis, just to make sure she was safe. Then he followed Aqualad into the trophy room. The two of them found Kid Flash, adding the young boy's Sippy cup to his collection of souvenirs.

"I finally got word to Atlantis," Aqualad told his two teammates. "No adults there, either." Desmond looked at the ground, and Kid Flash adopted a stern expression.

"So," he said after a moment. "How desperate are we?" The three teens looked towards the souvenir shelves, and their eyes all rested on the Helmet of Fate. Desmond knew that Nabu had already used Wally as a conduit before he'd joined the team, and witnessed Nabu use Kaldur when they fought the Injustice League. He was mad powerful, but was most likely getting annoyed being called on for services, and not being able to keep his human hosts.

"We both know that anyone who dons the helmet," Kaldur reminded Kid Flash. "And allows Nabu to posses them, may never be released from being Doctor Fate." Desmond shook his head.

"It's way too risky," he reasoned, siding with Aqualad. "Nabu's probably getting fed up with us. Whoever is the next person to put on that helmet…" He let it hang in the air.

"So, not that desperate," Wally confirmed.

"No," agreed Aqualad. "Not yet." They spent another moment, all three gazing at the golden helmet. Then Zatana walked in.

"Guys?" she called. The three boys turned to face her. She had a nervous expression, but behind it one of determination. "I'm ready to try my father's locator spell." The boys nodded, and followed Zatana out into the mission room. The others were already gathered, and the large holographic Earth was displayed in the center of the room. Zatana held up her hands, a magic wand in one, and said a few words which Desmond could not comprehend (like he could ever understand Zatana's spells.) A small, flickering red dot appeared on an area of the globe, on the east coast of the United States.

"Coordinates locked," said Robin. "Roanoke Island. You did it." Desmond had assumed this would make Zatana excited, but instead her face fell slightly, and she looked away. Just as the team began making preparations for their trip to Roanoke, there was a sudden flash of lightning. The team turned to see a small boy, looking at his own hands.

"It worked!" he exclaimed. The team's eyes widened, and they quickly moved towards the mysterious child.

"Who are you," asked Aqualad, sounding apprehensive at the appearance of the boy. "Where did you come from." The child turned to Miss Martian, ignoring the Atlantian's questions.

"Quick, read my mind!" he insisted. Miss Martian complied. Suddenly she gasped, a look of surprise covering her face.

"He's…" she said, sounding like she didn't believe herself. "Captain Marvel." Wally wasn't buying it.

"Yeah, and I'm Speedy Gonzales," he said. "Look, just because he _believes_ he's Captain Marvel—"

"Gee, Wally," the boy interrupted. "Do I _really_ need to bring you nachos and pineapple juice to get on your good side?" The team's eyes widened collectively, and they exchanged some looks. That was Captain Marvel alright.

"What is going on?" asked Desmond. "Why are you a kid? And how'd you get in here?" The boy sighed heavily, and began the tale of how this all came to be. Captain Marvel's secret identity, as it turned out, was ten year old Billy Bastion. Much like how Cap's nemesis, Black Adam, draws his power from saying 'Shazam' so too does Billy. When he says it, it turns him into Captain Marvel, a beacon for good. This is how he came to be in the cave. He explained there were two different dimensions; one for kids, and one for adults. He was the only one that could travel between the two, using his magic power. He explained Batman, Zatara and Red Tornado were in the cave in the other dimension. Captain Marvel/Billy was their only way to communicate between the two worlds. He then left (with a loud 'SHAZAM!') and returned to Batman, and then came back to the team. The conversation went a little like this.

Batman: "There will be threats in both dimensions, and we may not be familiar with our opponents."

Aqualad: "The key to this mission is a coordinated, simultaneous attack."

Batman: "Agreed. Our best chance against sorcery is to strike fast, disrupt their efforts."

Aqualad: "And hope the two dimensions merge naturally back into one." With that out of the way, Captain Marvel returned to the side of the adults, and the team boarded the Bio-ship for Roanoke Island.

XxXxX

The island was dark and dreary. The place was covered in barren trees, giving a very spooky atmosphere to the whole situation. The only light coming from anywhere on the island was a gigantic glowing star, and that's where the team was headed. They found a secluded space for the Bio-ship, and exited quietly. The plan was simple. Robin and Artemis would go in first, and then Superboy, Shifter, Aqualad and Kid Flash would bring in the heavy hits. They still weren't sure who they were going up against, but as they drew closer they realized it was Klarion the Witch Boy. The little freak always gave Desmond the creeps. Aqualad signaled, and Robin and Artemis silently moved towards their target. They simultaneously launched things at him, Artemis shooting arrows and Robin tossing batarangs. Klarion turned towards them, and with a flick of his wrist summoned a force field that blocked the attack.

"That's the best you can do?" he asked, his shrill annoying voice sounding excited. He sent a bolt of red electricity out of his hand, which knocked over Robin and Artemis. The others moved in from all different directions. Superboy and Shifter aimed to attack with fists, Aqualad used his magic weapons in the form of blue hammers, and Kid Flash tried to speed into the magic boy. Just before they made impact, a giant red force field appeared, knocking all four boys back. Zatana stepped up, attempting a spell, but Klarion countered it, and sent her flying through the air. Before she landed, Superboy managed to catch her, and set her down gently. Desmond tried again, this time aiming to phase through the force field. When he came in contact with it, he felt like he was getting electrocuted, and stepped quickly out. But not before Klarion sent him flying as well. He hardened himself midair, and landed with a thud, creating a small crater. He got up, and found he was next to Artemis. KF zipped over to the two of them.

"Guys, listen," he said urgently. "When Fate possessed my body, he defeated Klarion by attacking the cat." The two other heroes looked to the small orange and black cat that sat on the edge of Klarion's glowing orange star. Des and Artemis nodded. Artemis shot an arrow, which Klarion promptly turned into a ball of yarn.

"Show them what a familiar to a Lord of Chaos can do, Teekl," he said to the cat. He splayed his fingers, and the cat suddenly began transforming into a hideous version of itself. Shifter sprinted to the beast before it could go anywhere, and entered into a grudge match with the tiger-like monster. It lunged at him, but he grabbed it by the throat and slammed it to the ground. The cat quickly flipped itself over, effectively pinning Shifter. Thinking on his feet, (or back, as the case may be) he sunk through the ground, and came back up behind the monstrous feline. He delivered a swift kick to its hind quarters, and it went flying. Suddenly he noticed Klarion fall to the ground slightly, but he regained his composure. He sent out bolts of lighting, much like Wotan had when the team fought the Injustice League, and it knocked Shifter, Artemis and Robin to the ground, dazed. Aqualad and Kid Flash soon succumbed to the magic as well. Superboy had his hands full with Teekl after Desmond had been knocked down. M'gann continued mentally hurling rocks at Klarion to no effect, then stopped suddenly.

_Billy,_ she thought, though everyone can hear. Billy must've shown up in their dimension. _Don't speak. I've mentally linked you to the rest of the team._

_ Really? Cool! _ he thought. _Uh, I mean, it's the gem. At the center of the pentagram. Destroy it and we win!_ Desmond saw from the corner of his eye Zatana holding something large and golden in her hands. Suddenly he realized it was the Helmet of Fate.

"Zatana!" shouted Kaldur, Wally and Desmond simultaneously. "Stop!" But it was no use. The young magician donned the Helmet of Fate, and Zatana was soon gone. In her place floated Doctor Fate, only in a female form this time. "No…" whispered Desmond.

"Klarion," called Fate, speaking with both his and Zatana's voices. "This ends now." Klarion was visibly enraged.

_ Billy, tell Zatara,_ Miss Martian said. Billy nodded, and with a 'Shazam' he was gone again. Klarion and Fate blasted magical energy at each other, and the two beams collided in the center, pushing against each other to see whose magic was dominant. Both their beams suddenly gave out, and Klarion began hurling balls of red energy at Fate, who easily dodged them all. The rest of the team watched, helplessly from the ground. Aqualad and Miss Martian began pounding on the red force field once again, trying to aid Fate in his attack. Fate gave one more fantastic beam of energy, and Desmond joined in the pounding with Miss Martian and Aqualad. Suddenly it seemed as if it was too much for the Lord of Chaos to bear, and he began shrinking back.

"No!" he shouted. "No no no no no no!" The force field dissolved, and Fate created a large glowing ankh around Klarion's upper body, effectively detaining him.

"Kid, now!" shouted Aqualad. Kid Flash zipped, sliding on the ground to grab the crystal, and through it to Doctor Fate. The magical hero grabbed it, said a sort of complicated incantation, and there was a flash of light. When it died down, Klarion was joined in the pentagram by Wotan, Black Briar Thorn, Felix Faust, and Wizard. They all slumped on the ground, defeated by Batman, Red Tornado, Zatara and Captain Marvel, who were also present. Klarion looked at his fallen comrades and shrugged.

"They sure don't make evil immortal sorcerers like they used to," he said. He snapped his fingers, and the ankh disovled. "Come on Teekl." The giant cat, which was still roughing up Superboy, suddenly returned to his normal form, leapt into Klarion's arms, and the two disappeared through a portal Klarion had conjured up. Robin limped over to the rest of the team.

"Did we win?" he asked, as he had been out of commission most of the battle. The others looked to Zatana, still inhabited by Doctor Fate.

"At a cost," said Aqualad. Zatara slowly walked over to where the team was, and looked up at his daughter's floating body.

"Fate!" he called up to him/her. "Great Nabu, release my daughter." There was a pause, as if Fate was considering it.

"No," he said at last. The team's eyes widened extremely. They had all known the risk, but had never really come to terms with the reality of the consequences. "The world needs Doctor Fate. And the girl's affinity for the mystic arts makes her a perfect candidate." The team exchanged looks, when Zatara spoke up again.

"Take me instead," he offered solemnly. "MY skills are already at their peak. My body is physically stronger, better able to withstand the strain of your power. You have my word." Fate waited a moment, and slowly floated down. He landed, walked up to the magician, and removed the helmet. Zatana stood in his place. The two embraced, and Zatara held his daughter out to get a better look at her.

"Remember," he said quietly. "I love you." He planted a kiss on her forehead, and slowly put on the Helmet of Fate. Zatana screamed in protest, but it was too late. Zatara, her father, was gone for good. Now only Fate remained.

_So that was fun, huh? Zatana, as you all know, will be staying at Mount Justice from now on. Thank you so much to those who have reviewed and added to their favorites. And thanks to anyone who's been with Desmond since the beginning (I know that sounds like the story's over, but it's not. Far from!) Anyway, please continue reading and all that jazz!_


	21. A New Student

_Author's Note: I'm really sorry that this was so late, and even sorrier that it's so short. I wanted to put a chapter in between another one that was based around an episode, and this was what came out. It's really a filler, but I hope you enjoy it none the less._

**Disclaimer: I only own Des, nothing more.**

Chapter Twenty One

A New Student

Zatana had moved into Mount Justice a few days ago. Des, Conner and Megan had tried to be good neighbors to her, and invited her out all the time. She almost always declined, however, wanting to just stay in her room. It was next to M'gann's, and furthest from Desmond's in the hallway. School arrived again, and on Monday, Zatana accompanied them to Happy Harbor. Batman had to pull a few strings to get her in, and have the same schedules as the other three, but it worked. Zatana (or as she would now be known, Joan Marigold) was the new student from Star City. At least that's her cover story. She would be posing as Desmond's cousin, so the two of them had to get their stories straight. On the walk to the high school, they reviewed what they would tell others.

"So you just moved here," Desmond said. "We didn't keep in touch a lot before, but now we see each other all the time."

"Right," said Zatana. "When I came with you to the Halloween party: that was a way for me to meet some new people before I started the school year." Desmond nodded.

"Good, we've got it covered," he assured his 'cousin.' "Just try to stay under the radar. That's what we do." He gestured to himself, Conner, and Megan. They arrived at the high school, and weren't two feet inside when Marvin skate boarded up to them.

"Hey guys," he said, then eyed Zatana. "Hey, aren't you the girl from the Halloween party? What're you still doing here?"

"She just moved here," Desmond explained. "This is my cousin, Joan." 'Joan' held out a hand, and Marvin shook it gently. They began walking to their first class when Marvin nudged Desmond in the shoulder. He leaned in and whispered.

"Dude, your cousin's a _babe_!" he said. "Does she have a boyfriend back home, or can Marvin work his magic?" Desmond winced slightly. _Magic_ was a touchy subject with Zatana right now. Then Desmond thought about Robin, and his obvious crush on the young magician.

"Sorry, dude," Desmond whispered back. "She's already taken." Marvin's face fell, but he shrugged, and they continued walking. Then Desmond pulled his over again.

"Yeah?" asked Marvin hopefully. Desmond gave him a soft punch in the gut, getting a "Oof!" from Marvin.

"Don't call my cousin a babe!" Desmond said jokingly, and the two friends laughed it off as they entered the class room.

XxXxX

English, history and gym had come and gone, and now the four heroes were headed to lunch. Conner and Desmond walked out of the locker room together, deep in conversation.

"Black Canary is _way_ hotter than Wonder Woman!" exclaimed Desmond. Superboy shook his head.

"No way, man," he said. "Wonder Woman is seriously stunning. I swear, if I wasn't with M'gann—" Speak of the devil. M'gann and Zatana walked up, and Conner quickly shut up.

"Hey cuz," Desmond said to Zatana, who smiled. She was wringing her hair out. "How was gym?" She pulled an unsatisfied face.

"Terrible," she said. "That pool's got to be below twenty degrees!" Desmond chuckled, and they made their way to the lunch room. The entered through the large double doors, and were hit with the smell of cafeteria food. Normally, Des, Conner and Megan would have found their friends (Wendy and Marvin, and occasionally Mal) and sit with them. But today they just found their own table, so it could just be the four of them. The dropped their stuff off, and Desmond made a beeline for the cafe.

"Anyone coming with?" he called over his shoulder. Zatana quickly caught up to him. Megan had offered to make everyone lunches, but only Conner took her up on that offer. She made lunches for herself and the Kryptonian every day, and Desmond always got food from the school. Zatana and he thought alike, as it turned out. The two teens walked into the food selling area, and moved around from different choices.

"I like this place," said Zatana at last. "I never really went to high school, you know. MY dad…" She sniffled, and needed to take a moment regain her composure. "My dad taught me everything I needed to know. But I'm glad I'm here now." Desmond smiled, and draped an arm around Zatana's shoulder.

"We're glad you're here too, Z," he had taken to calling her that. "It'll be nice to have some more team members around during our downtime. It gets pretty boring around here sometimes. Hey, maybe you should join Megan on the cheer squad." Zatana shrugged Desmond's arm off, and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, totally," she said jokingly. "Can't you just picture me in those yellow skirts?" Desmond shrugged.

"Well, it'd be a nice change from the pantsuit you normally wear," he suggested. She nudged him in the ribs, and the two of them laughed as they picked out what they wanted to eat. They paid for their food and walked back to their table, where they found Megan and Conner already eating and chatting away. They sat down, and Desmond took a bite of his hamburger, sending ketchup running down the side of his arm.

"You're a pig!" Megan joked, as Desmond wiped the condiment off his sleeve. He got a sinister glint in his eye, and flicked the ketchup at M'gann. It flew through the air, then suddenly stopped mid air, and slid downwards slowly as if it had been flung at a window.

"Hey," Desmond whispered. "Force field. No fair!" The four friends laughed as they ate, and talked about the day so far, and what was to come.

XxXxX

The four teens finished their day at school, and were still chatting about the day when they Zeta-beamed in. Robin and Aqualad were there, sparring. Artemis watched from the side, and gave her friends a wave as they entered. Wally could be heard snacking away in the kitchen. Artemis walked up to Zatana.

"How was your first day?" she asked. "Did having Des as a cousin tarnish your fake family name?"

"Rude," noted Desmond, but Artemis ignored it.

"Nah, it was fine," Zatana shrugged. "There were a few cute guys, too." Robin, seeming to hear this comment, lost his footing and fell to the ground. The computer announced that Aqualad had won the match. Artemis quickly ran up.

"My turn!" she said, ending the conversation with Zatana. The four high school kids decided to get something to eat with Wally. Robin quickly walked up to Desmond. He made sure Zatana couldn't hear, and leaned in to Robin's ear.

"Don't worry, dude," he assured his younger friend. "It's my goal to make Zatana un-dateable by anyone at school." Robin turned red.

"Uh…" he said. "What're you talking about?" Desmond gave him a look like 'really?'

"Dude, it's cool," he said. "I know you've got a crush on Zatana." Robin crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why don't you just go kissy-kissy with Artemis?" Robin mocked him. Desmond shot the boy wonder a glance, but they both grinned after a moment. They entered the kitchen, and found Wally had pretty much cleared out the fridge.

"Dude, what's with the feast?" asked Desmond. "Thanksgiving isn't for weeks." Wally threw an apple at Des, who caught it and took a bite.

"Very funny," the speedster said. "No, I've been working out all day. Trying to get my speed to higher limits. I've been trying the molecule vibration that Flash does, to phase through walls, like you Des."

"And?" asked Robin anxiously. Wally sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and looked away. Then he pointed to a nearby wall. The others looked, and could barely hold in there laughter when they saw a Wally shaped dent in the wall.

"Just leave the wall phasing to me, alright Kid Spaz?" Wally punched Des in the arm, and he dropped his apple. "Ow!" he shouted. Wally flashed him a triumphant look. "Just because your birthday's tomorrow doesn't mean you can act all rude."

"You guys remembered my birthday?" Wally asked. The others all rolled their eyes.

"It's not like you've been dropping hints all week or anything," said Robin.

"Well, I don't want a party or anything," Wally insisted. The others all nodded, but at the same time they knew that was _exactly_ what he wanted. Tomorrow should be a good day.

_That was damn SHORT! I'm sorry about that, but really appreciate those who've kept waiting for an update. Sorry if it disappointed anyone. I've been working on several projects and a paper, not to mention writing something not-fanfic related. Anyway, I'll try and get another one up soon. Thanks all!_


	22. Frigid

_Author's note: Okay, this one should be a much better chapter than the last. It will have action a plenty! It's based off the episode 'Cold Hearted,' which follows Wally as he tries to give a girl a heart she needs. But as you know, this story follows Desmond. So what'll happen in this chapter, you ask? Well… read it!_

**Disclaimer: The characters of Young Justice belong to DC, not me.**

Chapter Twenty Two

Frigid

The room was completely dark as the team sat, hidden. The place was decorated with balloons and a banner that read "Happy Birthday" in big yellow letters. The team was all there, joined by Red Tornado, and Wally's uncle, the Flash. They sat in silence, then heard the cave announce Wally's arrival.

"Recognized, Kid Flash, B03," it called. "Zeta-tube now offline, due to atmospheric conditions." That was something new, but they didn't dwell on it. Wally walked into the kitchen, and Tornado flipped on the lights.

"Surprise!" everyone shouted. Wally threw up his hands in obviously mock surprise.

"Aw, for me?" he asked innocently. "Guys, you shouldn't have."

"Right," said Robin, chuckling. "Like you haven't been hinting for weeks that you wanted a party." M'gann quickly grabbed Wally by the arm and pulled him over to the couch. She strapped a party hat on his head, and presented him with not one, but _two_ cakes.

"Aw thanks, babe," he said. The others rolled their eyes. "What're you all going to eat?"

"We'll split the cupcake," said M'gann. "Make a wish!" Wally grinned and blew out the candles. Then the others began milling around, as Wally began flirting with the Martian. Conner, Kaldur and Desmond went to talk with Flash.

"So, you're the density shifter I've been hearing about?" asked Flash. He held out a hand, which Desmond shook graciously. The Flash had already met every member of the team besides him, so Desmond wanted to make a good first impression.

"That'd be me, Flash, sir," he said. The Flash chuckled, and waved a hand.

"Don't call me _that_," he insisted. "Just call me Barry." Desmond's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden openness. He'd met a lot of Leaguers by now, and the only secret identities he knew were Martian Manhunter's and Captain Marvel's.

"Okay, Barry," he said. "So, I hear you can phase through walls too." He smiled and looked towards his nephew, who was gazing at M'gann. She gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Did Wally try it _again_?" he asked, sounding slightly annoyed. "Every time he does it, a wall needs re-spackling." Conner pointed to the Wally-shaped mark on the kitchen wall, and the four of them laughed heartily. Artemis walked over to the group. "Hey little lady." Said Flash.

"Hey Barry, nice to see you," she said politely. She nodded towards Wally and M'gann. Wally was desperately trying to get a 'special present' from the Martian girl. "Should we tell him?" she asked, mostly to Conner. The three boys exchanged looks, and Flash looked very confused.

"He is the only one not aware," said Kaldur. Artemis smiled.

"Then please," she said. "Allow me." With that she strode over to the couch, and sat next to Wally. She leaned in and whispered the news to him. He looked crestfallen. Desmond quickly filled the Flash in on Wally's crush on Miss M, and her relationship with Conner. He laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like Wally all right," he said. Just then there was a beep, signaling the PA system was about to be used. Batman's gravelly voice filled the room.

"Attention team," he said. "Suit up. Polar stealth. Mission briefing in five." The eight teens exchanged looks, and quickly ran off to fulfill Batman's request.

XxXxX

The team regrouped, all wearing white and grey versions of their outfits. Flash and Red Tornado were gone. Batman got right to the point.

"A massive ice storm has paralyzed North America from coast to coast," he explained. "Satellite imaging has detected five floating… ice fortresses. Source unknown. They seem to be responsible, and must be stopped. The Watchtower is not weapon-equipped, and with both Green Lanterns off-world I need all hands on deck." Robin seemed to pick up on what Batman was saying.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" he asked excitedly. "The League _and_ the team fighting side-by-side?" The other members of the team all smiled, and exchanged excited glances.

"Miss Martian," said Batman. "Take the Bio-ship. Drop off Robin and Aqualad at Ice Fortress One. I will rendezvous there. Continue on, and drop off Desmond and Superboy at Ice Fortress Two, where they will meet up with Black Canary and Red Tornado. Then you, Artemis and Zatana will continue to Ice Fortress Three. Other League members will take care of Ice Fortresses Four and Five. Kid Flash…" Wally looked up expectantly. "Stay a moment, I have a special job for you." With that, everyone except Kid Flash left for the Bio-ship.

XxXxX

The Bio-ship neared the second Fortress. Aqualad and Robin had already been dropped off, and now Superboy and Shifter would be leaving. M'gann floated over the large floating metal contraption, which was no easy feat, considering the ridiculous winds that were raging all around. She opened a hole in the bottom of the ship. She gave Superboy a quick kiss, and he dropped through. Shifter was about to drop as well, when Artemis caught his shoulder.

"Be careful," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. Despite the cold inside the ship, he blushed. "Now go!" she urged, and Desmond jumped out of the hole. He free-fell towards the dark grey metal below, and landed with a thud. As soon as he stood, he was knocked to the ground again. He looked to see a blue beam sail over his head, and Black Canary lying on top of him.

"Watch your head, Des," she called above the roar of the wind. "Those beams will freeze you solid. Help us take them out." They got up, and went in two different directions. These things were _huge_, and it would take a while to cover the whole thing. Desmond ran towards the nearest laser, and hardened himself. He slid on his side, and collided with the metal base of the laser, knocking it out of the socket. It continued firing, however, so he lifted it over his head and ran to the edge of the ship. He jumped upwards, and flung the still-firing cannon of the edge.

"Tornado!" he called. The android swooped in, and blasted the laser with gusts of wind, causing it to explode. Desmond smiled at the success of the tag team, and then heard a deafening scream, and turned to see Black Canary shouting at another laser. It erupted in sparks, and seemed to shut down. Superboy then ran up and roundhouse kicked it out of the socket, and it sailed right off the edge of the Fortress. Tornado swooped in and blasted another laser with gusts of powerful wind, sending it flying off the large ship. Things were starting to look up. Then there was the sound of something opening, and the four heroes turned to see it. At least a dozen people stepped out of a hatch. No, wait, they weren't people. They looked like giant, bipedal glaciers, walking around.

"What _are_ those?" shouted Superboy.

"Some kind of… ice monsters," said Desmond. Then, as if to support this theory, the hulking ice-man in the front of the line growled, and out of his mouth shot a spike of ice. It went straight for Canary, who dodged it easily. But when it impacted on the metal floor, it erupted into many smaller shards, all sharp as knives.

"This may prove to be a hindrance on our mission," noted Red Tornado in his monotone voice. Shifter quickly radioed in to Batman, while the other three began taking out the ice monsters.

"Uh, Batman?" he asked. "We have a…situation over here…"

"The ice monsters, I know," replied Batman. "We're having the same problem here. They're reminiscent of Thermonators, androids covered in three foot thick ice created by Mr. Freeze. But he should be locked away in Belle Reve…"

"Um…" said Shifter, dodging a flying ice shard. "Any tips on how to take these guys out?" Batman made a sound like he'd just gotten hit by something, but responded none the less.

"If you can get through the ice," he said. "There should be a thin robotic body underneath. If you pull out the circuits it will shut down. You and Black Canary are perfect for this. Batman out." The radio shut off, and Shifter had a plan. He ran to Black Canary, who was kicking at one of the ice monsters.

"There's a robot underneath the ice!" he shouted. "Batman said if we get through to it, we can shut them down. Scream!" Black Canary faced her adversary, and let loose an eardrum-shattering scream. The ice shook for a moment, then cracks started to appear. It erupted, sending ice everywhere, and left a very frail looking metal figure of a man. Canary kicked at the chest area, and the robot's entire torso fell off. She gave Shifter a thumbs up, and he left her to fight his own. He ran to the nearest ice-bot, and phased his hand through the thick ice. He wrapped his hand around the center of the robot, and just before the monster's frozen arms took a swing at his head, he yanked the metal support hard. He pulled it out from the inside, and the monster snapped in half. He looked over to see Canary shout at two more, and they were incapacitated. Another monster approached Desmond, and he repeated the process. Then he hardened himself, and took the lifeless body of the nearest incapacitated monster, and flung it at the one that was currently heading right for him. They collided, and both tumbled off the side of the Fortress. Suddenly his headset buzzed.

"How you guys doing?" came Robin's voice. "Batman told me you were fighting the Thermonators too." Desmond grunted as he hardened himself and took a full frontal blast of ice.

"Yeah, we are," he said, through barred teeth. "But me and Canary are handling it. How're things on your end?"

"Going fine," he responded after a short pause. "Aquaman and Flash showed up to help."

"And Wally?" Desmond asked.

"Batman sent him to deliver a heart to a girl that needs a transplant," he said. "Across the country." Desmond's eyes widened in surprise. It seemed like a weird request. Not a bad one, obviously, but weird.

"Who's the girl?"

"Batman wouldn't say," said Robin. "Just that it was important. Anyway, any word from Artemis, M'gann or Zatana?"

"Nope," Desmond said, as he roundhouse kicked a Thermonator halfway across the Fortress. "I'll call them now." Robin said goodbye, and Shifter quickly radioed in to Artemis. "How you holding up?" he asked when she answered his call.

"We're okay," she said. He heard the sound of an arrow being shot, and an explosion shortly after. "Hey, have you seen these—"

"They're called Thermonators," Desmond cut her off. "There's a robotic body beneath the ice. Get to that, you shut down the walking glacier." Artemis chuckled.

"You know everything," she joked.

"Well, you know me," said Desmond. He noticed Red Tornado getting battered by a Thermonator. "Got to go. Robin wanted me to make sure you were all okay. And… _I_ wanted to be sure _you_ were okay." Artemis bid him farewell, and Shifter jumped at the Thermonator. But before he could get to it, there were two red beams from out of nowhere, and the ice around the Thermonator melted away. Tornado barraged the exposed robot with wind, and it snapped in half. Desmond looked to Superboy, and found that his friend was staring directly up in the sky. He followed his gaze, and watched as Super_man _slowly floated down into the battle field. The floating Kryptonian touched down, and Black Canary ran up to him.

"Glad you're here, Kal," she said. Kal? Who was Kal? Desmond let it slide as Canary and Superman continued. "Shifter and I have been taking down a lot of them, but they keep coming."

"Who's Shifter?" asked the man of steel. Canary pointed to Desmond, who was standing awkwardly next to red Tornado. Superman flew over to him, and extended a hand. Desmond took it, acting rather star struck. "You've been doing good work here, son. Let's continue it." He flew off again, aiming for more Thermonators. Desmond's eyes landed on Superboy, who seemed to be seething with anger. He knew that the two Kryptonians had a strained relationship, and hearing Superman call Desmond 'son' probably didn't help. With a roar, Superboy jumped to the nearest Thermonator and started wailing on its chest. Shifter followed suit, delivering punch after punch to the icy robot nearest him. Canary screamed another Thermonator into oblivion, and Superman floated upwards quickly. Then he turned, and dive bombed into a group of three Thermonators. They all skyrocketed, falling in different directions away from the Fortress. He followed up with heat vision to the next two nearest him, and Red Tornado used gusts of wind to knock the half-melted robots off the side. Canary ran up to Shifter.

"Don't just stand there!" she called. "Help me take out these four." She pointed to a group fo four Thermonators, converging on where the two were standing. Desmond nodded.

"Maneuver Twenty Eight," he suggested. Canary nodded. Desmond grabbed her hand, and the two of them phased through the metal below them. They came up again in the middle of the four robots. Then Desmond grabbed Black Canary's shoulders, and hoisted her upwards. She started to scream, and he began spinning in circles, so she was hitting all four robots with her Canary Cry. They almost instantly shattered, and the two heroes set about disposing of the robot portion of their bodies. They were soon gone, and Canary clasped Shifter on the shoulder.

"Good work," she said with a smile. "Those sessions with me have really been paying off, huh?" Desmond smiled and nodded, and turned in time to see Superboy fling a Thermonator off the side of the Fortress. He jumped over to Des and Canary, and Superman floated over with Red Tornado.

"We've put a dent in their forces," said the elder Kryptonian. "Now we need to shut this thing down for good. I assume there's some sort of power source in the center. I can't be sure, though; this thing is coated in lead paint." He turned to Desmond, who felt the overwhelming urge to salute the imposing hero. "Shifter, if you can phase Superboy and me inside, the three of us should be able to get close enough to the power source to shut it off."

"You're assuming it'll be pumping out hazards?" asked Canary. "Some things only skin of steel or extreme density could withstand?" Superman nodded. "Then the three of you go. Tornado and I'll hold off the rest of the robots." Tornado nodded in affirmative, and the two Kryptonians looked to Shifter. He took a deep breath, and held out both his hands.

"Grab on," he said. The two Supers did so. Superman's hand was large and powerful, but warm to the touch. Desmond couldn't help but get a sense of protection from the hero's presence. He looked to his friend Superboy, who was still looking with awe at his 'father.' "Here we go…" said Desmond, and he phased the three of them through the metal. It was really tightly packed, and they couldn't see anything for a moment. Then there was a sudden drop, and the three heroes fell to the ground inside the Fortress. It was a large room, and freezing cold. Icicles hung from the ceiling, and jutted out from the floor and walls. Superboy pointed forward.

"There!" he shouted, and Shifter followed his finger. His eyes rested on a door, nearly completely frozen in ice. "It's got to be in there. The ice is an extra layer of protection." Superman nodded.

"Good eye," he said, and Shifter thought he saw his friend smile briefly at the praise. Superman stood, and his eyes started glowing red. "Stand back." He said. The two teens did so, and Superman blasted the icy door with his heat vision. The ice quickly started melting, and Superman shut off his heat vision just short of the door bursting into flames. Not wasting any time, Superboy jumped to the door, and with one swift punch, sent it flying into the darkness of the next room. Desmond and Superman joined him at the doorway, and the three walked in together. This room was almost infinitely colder than the other. The only light came from a giant orb in the center of the room. It was inside a glass case, and seemed to be pulsating, like a giant heart.

"That's got to be it," said Shifter. He took a step closer, and almost immediately felt the stinging on his face. He pulled back, and touched his cheek. When he pulled away, there was blood.

"Wind and ice shards," said Superman. "Spinning through the whole room. Moving too fast for you to see, but I can see them."

"So can I," said Superboy. "There's no way to avoid them. We'll need to go through it." Desmond breathed out, and hardened himself. Then the three heroes began walking towards the giant icy orb. Even the Kryptonians were having trouble moving in the gale force winds, and the three of them had to help each other, pushing forward, or grabbing a hand when someone started to fall back. After a while, they managed to get about two feet away.

"Superboy," said the man of steel. "You and Shifter take it out." The two teen's eyes opened wide, despite the stinging wind.

"Us?" asked Superboy. "Why not you? Use your heat vision again." Superman shook his head.

"Not in this wind," he said. "It would be diverted. Sent everywhere, and I don't want to risk hurting either of you. You two will have to do it." The teens looked at each other, and nodded.

"Maneuver sixteen," said Superboy. Desmond nodded, and Superboy jumped into the air. This was a maneuver that was a favorite of the two, as it worked with either of them in either position. One would grab onto the other's ankles, and spin in circles, at the end sending him towards the target. So as Shifter began spinning, he waited for Superboy's signal. "Now!" Desmond released his Kryptonian friend, and he rocketed at the icy orb. His body shattered the glass encasing it, and upon contact, there was a blinding white light. The entire room seemed to tilt over, and the three heroes fell to the ground. Suddenly, all their radios went off.

"Superman?" asked Black Canary. "Superboy? Shifter? What's going on in there?"

"Black Canary," called Superman, over the roar of the wind which had increased in intensity. There was now a mini blizzard within the room. "Get Tornado, and get out of there!" She didn't respond, so Desmond assumed she had complied.

"We've got to get out of here!" shouted Superboy. He turned to Desmond. "Phase us out, Shifter!" Desmond crawled over to the Kryptonians, and grabbed their wrists. He quickly lowered their density, and phased all three down through the bottom of the Fortress. As soon as they felt the cold air from the outside hit them, Superman took control. He put his arms around the teens, and quickly flew to a safe distance. They watched in awe as the gigantic Fortress slowly fell further and further, until it collided with the ocean below. Red Tornado floated over to the three of them, with Black Canary in his arms.

"Batman has reported that the other Fortresses have been dealt with, as well," he said. "Excellent work, Superman." Superman smiled, but shook his head.

"Thanks RT," he said, sounding rather informal for the man of steel. "But it was Shifter and Superboy who delivered the finishing blow." The two teens couldn't help but smile at the recognition they were getting. Superboy looked at both of them. "I'm proud of you two." That was amazing to hear. And while Desmond knew Superman was truthfully addressing both of them, he was aware most of the pride was for his 'son.' And he was okay with that; from what he'd heard, the two didn't get along well. He hoped this day would prove to help mend their strained relationship.

"Come on," said Black Canary, breaking the silence. "Superman, you and RT need to get to the Watchtower. The three of us will get back to the cave. I'm thinking hot chocolate." The others (excluding Red Tornado, for obvious reasons) smiled. Before they left, they turned to watch as the last of the Ice Fortress sunk beneath the lapping waves. After a moment of silence, the terrible snowstorm began to subside, and in another moment, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. Then the Bio-ship appeared from the clouds, and Black Canary, Desmond and Conner were dropped off inside it. They watched from the window as Superman and Red Tornado flew away.

"Wow…" said M'gann after a moment. "Superman, huh?" Desmond and Conner didn't respond, just gazed as the Kryptonian flew away. Then Desmond patted his friend on the back, and the Bio-ship began heading for home.

_So that was a good one, right? I'm hoping to try and mend the relationship problems that Superboy has with his 'dad' the further we go in the story. Anyway, I hope you liked it a lot. Thanks to the frequent readers and reviewers, you know who you are. Please review, favorite, and follow if you want to. Thanks!_


	23. Blackmail

_Author's Note: And you'd thought I'd forgotten about you! Never! In all seriousness though, I am REALLY sorry that this took so long, especially considering it's not terribly long. I've had several large projects/exams these past few weeks, so I didn't have a lot of time. The further into classes I get, the less often I will post chapters. But I will never just up and stop. There will be plenty of warning before this story ends. Without further ado:_

Chapter Twenty Three

Blackmail

Batman and the Flash had went to Belle Reve a few days ago, and returned with a negative. Batman had figured (with good reason) that several ice villains must have been behind the Fortresses, notably Icicles Senior and Junior, Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold and Killer Frost. The new warden, Hugo Strange, told them that, throughout the whole Fortress fiasco, those inmates were in their cells. So now Batman was looking for new leads. In the meantime, the team went back to their routine schedules, training with each other and Black Canary. But when they had initially gotten back from their icy mission, and found Wally, they'd learned he had saved an entire country with that heart he had to deliver. The entire team gave him props, and even stopped cracking jokes at his expense for the rest of the week. That was amazing, what he'd done.

On this day, a Saturday, the team was at Mount Justice. Desmond and Conner were sprawled across the couch, starring at a rerun of "Cops." M'gann was cooking something or other. Zatana and Robin were sitting on the other couch, chuckling about something. Artemis sat in her own chair, nibbling on a sandwich. In the other room, Wally and Kaldur were sparring. M'gann walked over, a plate of cookies floating behind her. Desmond greedily got up off the couch and reached for one, but she smacked his hand away.

"Those are for Wally," she said. "He deserves it, after what he did on his birthday for that little girl, and that whole country." Desmond angrily crossed his arms, and plopped back down next to Conner, who was grinning.

"What're you smiling about?" Desmond asked. "_Your_ girlfriend is making _Wally_ cookies. Just for him." Superboy glared at him.

"Shut it," he said, but with the small hint of a smile.

The rest of the day was spent like that; just hanging around, like a group of normal teens would (aside from the sparring, of course.) There had not been an awful lot of activity from villains recently, just a few things here and there, and even that was often taken care of by the Leaguers. Soon it got late, and Artemis, Robin, Wally and Kaldur all left to go to their respective homes, leaving Conner, Desmond, Zatana and M'gann left at the cave, with Red Tornado up in his 'apartment.' It was not long after the rest of their friends had left that Zatana stood up.

"I'm going to hit the hay, guys," she informed the others. "I'll see you tomorrow." There were calls of goodnight to their magician friend as she left the room. Desmond glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was nearing ten thirty, and he yawned. But he wasn't ready to call it a day yet, as he and his friends were currently enthralled by an episode of 'Lost,' which Wally had graciously left them. He'd already watched every season, but the three heroes (not counting Zatana) who lived at Mount Justice never had. Wally lent them his DVDs, and they were hooked. But the show soon ended, and Desmond stood to go.

"I'm think I'm going to call it a night, too," he said. "Goodnight you guys." He walked off, waving as his friends returned his calls of goodnight. He walked down the hall, and slid his door open. What he found shocked him. His bed was torn to shreds. The clothes in his closet were strewn across the room. And on the wall, hung a letter, pinned up by a dagger. "Ra's," he whispered under his breath, quickly running to the letter. He opened it, and began reading.

"_My dear son,"_ It began, assuring that it was, in fact, a letter from the Demon's Head. "_I've missed you dearly, you know. And I heard about your recent heroics. Stopping Calendar man? Excellent. Teaming up with the rest of your 'heroes' to demolish those ice fortresses? Superb. But aren't you getting tired of playing the hero game? Well, if not now, you soon will be. The blood of the Demon calls to you. Just as it called to Talia. You WILL be mine some day. But I grow tired of waiting. They say time, to an eternal man, seems to flow by much quicker. But they also say a watched pot never boils, and I have been watching you for some time now. How else do you think I got my assassin into your room? He's long gone by now, so don't bother looking for him. It was a mere demonstration; a message to you to say I know how to infiltrate your little clubhouse. And that means I can easily get to you and your friends, not to mention the friends that don't live in an "impenetrable cave of justice." So I have a proposition for you. Tonight, at midnight, meet me at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Or I'll set my sights on what you hold most dear."_

That was where the letter ended, but there was an arrow signaling to look back in the envelope. Desmond did so, and out came a picture of Artemis, in her civilian clothing. There was a red target painted over her head. So they were watching her. And she had no idea. Desmond had to tell her, had to tell the team. But… no. If Ra's really could get this far into their base without anyone knowing, he could easily do it a second time, but with more murderous intentions. He had no choice; Desmond was going to Florida.

XxXxX

It hadn't been easy, but Des had managed to get out of the cave without alerting Conner, M'gann, or Zatana. The Zeta-tube took him near Cape Canaveral, and he ran at a full out sprint the rest of the way. The beach/rocket launching facility was impressive, yet desolate. There was no one around for miles. Not knowing what to do, Desmond checked his watch. It was midnight exactly, per Ra's' request.

"Ra's!" he called out. "I'm here, demon! What do you want?" Suddenly a cold hand rested on Desmond's shoulder, and he resisted the urge to turn around and punch its owner in the stomach. "Hi, dad." Was all he said, through gritted teeth.

"My son, arrived at last," he said, sounding like the proud father he wished he could be. "How have you been? How's your female companion? Artemis, is it?"

"You leave her out of this, monster," snarled Desmond, grabbing the lapels on Ra's' green suit. He shook his head.

"Tsk tsk, boy," said the villain. "Now, my boy, let's not get ahead of ourselves. And you are incorrect, of course. This is very much about her, as well as the rest of your friends. All their lives depend on a decision you make, tonight, here with me." Desmond growled, but released his grip.

"I'm listening," he spat. Ra's smiled, almost warmly.

"As we speak, I have at least one associate of mine stationed, prepared to strike, at each of your friends. If you don't comply with my demands, they _will_ die." Desmond thought for a moment.

"Your bluffing," he said at last. "There's no way you could have gotten to them all." Ra's chuckled heartily, and pulled out a small device.

"Arrogant boy, must you always question your father?" he asked, then typed something into the device. An image popped up, of Artemis' sleeping form, looking helpless under her covers. "Are you prepared to strike, Sportsmaster?" asked Ra's. The image turned, to reveal the hockey mask clad face of Sportsmaster, Artemis' father.

"Absolutely," he whispered. It appeared he was waiting, just outside Artemis' window, waiting for a signal to attack. "And I suggest you do the same. Let me tell you, kids are nothing but trouble." Desmond was outraged.

"You would kill your own daughter, because this madman tells you to?" Sportsmaster chuckled.

"You'd be the one killing her," he told Desmond. "I'd just be the tool you used. It's all on you, Demon's Son." Desmond's snarled.

"Don't you dare call me that!" he shouted at the screen. "He is _not_ my father. And you're not Artemis'. Not anymore." Sportsmaster chuckled again.

"Preaching to the choir, little hero," he said, then turned his attention back to Ra's. "I'll wait for your signal. Sportsmaster out." The screen went black, and Ra's turned to his son.

"All of your friends are being watched," he assured Desmond. "Now, can we do business like civilized human beings, or not?" Desmond wanted to shout that Ra's wasn't a human. No human could steep so low. He was a monster. But instead, he looked away and nodded.

"What do you want from me?" Ra's smiled once again. But not warmly this time. This smile was like watching a cat realize he had his mouse cornered.

"One day," said Ra's, beginning to walk away and signaling Desmond to follow (which he begrudgingly did). "I don't know when. Maybe a week from now, maybe a month. But some day, I will call upon you. And you will come."

"If I don't come when you call?" asked Desmond, afraid he already knew the answer.

"Your friends will be killed," said Ra's, like it was a trivial matter. "Now, when you receive this call, you will come immediately. You will not tell your teammates. If they ask where you are going, lie. Do whatever you need to, but you _will_ come to me, Desmond."

"Where will I be meeting you?" asked Desmond. Ra's laughed heartily.

"You think I would tell you that _now_?" he asked incredulously. "So you can set an ambush? Maybe sabotage our plans before they are set in motion? No boy, I will tell you our meeting place when I call upon you." Desmond thought for a moment.

"You said 'our' plans," said Desmond. "Is someone else involved in this? And if so, who?" Ra's shook his head.

"All in due time, boy," he said. "One day soon, all your questions will be answered." Desmond shook his head now.

"I'm not agreeing to anything until you give me the details," he said. Ra's made a rumbling in his throat, clearly growing annoyed of his insolent child.

"You are in _no_ position to argue!" he snapped suddenly. "I will call upon you, and you will come. No negotiations!" Desmond sneered at the evil man, but didn't talk back. Ra's held out a hand, and showed Desmond a small earpiece.

"What's this?"

"This is how I will contact you," he said, handing Desmond the earpiece. "Let me reiterate; when I call you, you will come. No questions asked. Now, do we have a deal?" He stuck out a hand for Desmond to shake, but the boy hesitated. "It's you or your friends." Ra's reminded him. Desmond weighed it out in his head. He could refuse; continue being a hero, and no one's puppet. But Ra's could command the deaths of all his teammates. Could Desmond ever live with himself if he knew his friends were dead because of a decision he had made? No, he couldn't.

"I hate you," he said, in a gravelly voice. But never the less, he grasped his father's gloved hand, and shook. Ra's smiled as he shook back.

"I knew you'd come around one of these days, my son," he said. "It may have taken some time, but I knew you'd see the Light."

_Good enough return to the story? I hope you liked it, because it really has been a while since I even touched this story. I'll be trying to update a lot more frequently in the future. I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season so far, and thank those who continue to read!_


	24. Absence

_Author's Note: I'm back! So, I don't want to keep you waiting. This one will take the team out of the action somewhat, but still have enough risky business (there's not a joke there) to keep you entertained. Here you go!_

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Young Justice**

Chapter Twenty Four

Absence

Desmond had been on edge for the past week or so. But with Thanksgiving fast approaching, and no signs of danger present, his guard lowered steadily. Things had been pretty routine for a while, with very small missions here or there. School had been going fine, and for the time being, Desmond began to relax.

The team was sitting in the living room, as usual when there were no missions to do. Conner and Megan took up one couch, she resting her head on his shoulder. Des and Artemis claimed the other, and he had his arm draped over her shoulder, but on the back of the couch. Zatana and Robin took the two chairs the closest together, Wally had the third chair, and Aqualad leaned against a wall. Some boring TV show was on, but no one (aside from Wally) was really paying attention. Which was good, because just then the PA system beeped, and got the team's attention.

"Attention Young Justice," came Batman's voice. "Suit up, and meet in the Mission room in five." The teens exchanged quizzical looks, but then gave a collective shrug, and got up to change into their outfits.

Once Desmond was dressed in his classic purple, gold and black attire, he converged on the Mission room. Everyone else was there (besides Wally, who quickly zipped in behind Des) and crowded around the Dark Knight.

"What is it, Batman?" asked Robin, sounding rather eager. Des thought he saw the flicker of a smile cross Batman's face at his young ward's excitement, but it was probably a trick of the light.

"I've called you here for something rather special," he said. The team immediately perked up. "The League if fully aware of your excellent ability to work as a team. But we need to test your ability to think on your feat. In the absence of one or more team members." The Zeta-tube suddenly flashed, and Martian Manhunter walked in. M'gann waved.

"We ourselves have been in very similar situations," said the Martian, picking up exactly where Batman had left off. "In such cases, you need to be able to adapt. So I have volunteered to engineer mental exercises and situations that will put you in such conditions."

"Exercises?" asked Desmond. "Don't you remember what happened last time?" He couldn't help it, but he glanced to Artemis. Batman held up a calming hand.

"Not to worry," he said. "We've taken every precaution we can to assure nothing of the like happens. In fact…" Then the Zeta-tube flashed again, and in came three more heroes. Aquaman, Green Arrow, and the Flash. "These three, along with Martian Manhunter, will be chaperoning each scenario."

"What do you mean?" asked Wally. "How's this going to work?" Martian Manhunter stepped up.

"You will be split into teams of two," he said. "The teams will change with each activity. You will be thrust into a scenario in which you will need a specific set of skills that one of neither of the two have, but another member of your whole team do. You'll need to find a way out of this situation using your own skills. In each scenario, one of the four heroes will join you; either Green Arrow, Captain Marvel, Aquaman, or myself. Once all the teams have finished their activity, four new scenarios will be developed, and new teams will be assigned. Then the cycle continues. Do you understand?" The eight teens looked at each other, and then back to the heroes, giving a unanimous nod.

"Good," said Batman. "I have other business to attend to. Good luck." With that, he left through the Zeta-tube. Martian Manhunter walked up, and spread his arms wide.

"Relax," he said softly. "Let me enter your mind. You will lose consciousness for a moment, but then…" Whatever he was about to say, Desmond didn't hear it. He blacked out.

XxXxX

Desmond slowly opened his eyes, and found himself in a large and empty room. He slowly sat up, and noticed a figure to his left. It was Superboy, still unconscious. He shook the Kryptonian.

"Superboy, wake up," he called, rousing the sleeping alien. He slowly opened his eyes, and sat up as well.

"Des?" he asked. Then he looked around, and noticed the surroundings. "So we're a team? What d'you think they'll throw at us?" Des shrugged.

"Dude, who cares?" he asked. "We're the two powerhouses of Young Justice. I think we can handle it." Just then, both teens heard chuckling, and turned to find Green Arrow looking down at them.

"Don't get too cocky, there, Shifter," he said, stroking his thin blonde beard. "This one's a doozy. Care for an explanation?" Desmond smiled. He'd always liked Green Arrow. He was suave, funny, and chill. Plus, he was one of the few Leaguers who knew about Desmond and Artemis, so… yeah.

The two teens nodded, and the archer continued. "Alright, so you see this room? It's underground. And we're all stuck in here, unless you two can figure out how to push two buttons."  
"That's it?" asked Conner, sounding slightly irritated. "We need to push buttons?" GA held up a hand.

"Let me finish there, sport," he said, and Conner crossed his arms. "You need to push the buttons at the exact same time. Only problem is, they're across the room from each other, through a seven foot tunnel in the wall. Now, before you interrupt me again, I'll explain why conventional methods won't work. Desmond may be able to phase through the wall, sure, but both of you need to press the buttons simultaneously. And there's a special security measure for Superboy. One foot past the walls, into the ground, is a layer of Kryptonite." Conner's eyes widened.

"So we'll need to find another way…" Desmond mused. The two teens thought for a while, but couldn't come up with anything. Green Arrow decided to lend a hand.

"The first step is to figure out who you're missing," he suggested. "Which member of the team has the skills you need." Conner and Des locked eyes, and both had the same realization.

"Robin and Artemis," said Des. "Robin would toss one of his discs, and Artemis would fire an arrow at the same time." Green Arrow smiled.

"Bingo," he said. "So, what are you going to do with that info?" Desmond shrugged, and sat on the floor. When he moved his foot, it kicked up some dirt. Since they were underground, the floor was entirely dirt and stone. He scuffed his foot a few more times, out of boredom. But then it led to an answer, and he jumped up.

"It's the ground!" he said. Conner gave him a quizzical look, but the archer smiled, showing Desmond that he had guessed right. "We need to, I guess, compact the dirt into balls that will fit through the tubes. Then we toss them in at the same time, they hit the buttons, and we win!" Conner smiled, and bent to get some dirt.

The two teens worked the earth in their hands, their fingers getting progressively filthier. They compared the sizes of their dirt clumps, and once they got balls about the same size, they moved to their respective holes in the wall.

"One…" called Conner. "Two," Desmond joined with him. "Three!" The two boys tossed their dirt clumps through the hole, and in a moment heard a bell ding somewhere. Green Arrow clapped his hands together.

"Nice job, boys," he said. "Now, if you just wait a minute, J'onn will get you a…" But again the next part of the sentence was cut short as Des and Conner blacked out.

XxXxX

This time, Desmond woke up much quicker, and found his new partner was already waiting for him. Robin sat, cross legged, waiting for Des to awaken.

"What's up, sleeping beauty?" he joked. "You ready for the next test?" Desmond sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "So, who were you with, and who did you need?"

"Me and Conner," Desmond said. "And we actually needed you and Artemis." Robin's eyes widened behind his mask.

"That's funny," he said. "Cuz me and Artemis needed your and Conner's super strength. Maybe that's how this works out."

"So you think Conner's with Artemis now?" Desmond asked. Robin shrugged, then pointed behind Desmond. Des turned, and found he was looking up at Aquaman.

"Hello, boys," he said. The King of Atlantis had a commanding voice, but there was definitely kindness in it. Des could see why Aqualad respected this man so much. "Are you ready for your newest trial?" The teens stood up, and Desmond looked at Robin.

"I'm guessing we're going to need Aqualad for this one," he said. Aquaman smiled, and snapped his fingers. Three sections of the floor pulled away, and out of each rose a thin human form; an android of sorts.

"Prepare yourselves, gentlemen," said Aqualad. Then he snapped again, and all three androids lit on fire, and started converging on Rob and Des. Their eyes widened, and they both jumped out of the way. The robots adjusted their course, and started looking for the heroes.

"No Aqualad, no water," called Desmond. Aquaman nodded.

"These robots, thin as they are, cannot be destroyed," called the King of Atlantis. "The only way for you to win this little game is to extinguish the flames." Des and Robin made eye contact, then converged towards the center of the room. They stood, backs against each other, moving in a tight circle.

"How d'you think we do this?" asked Desmond. "There has to be a way, right?" Robin thought for a minute, then looked to the ground. Desmond followed his gaze. Once again, the ground was made of dirt. Just then, Robin got an idea, and pulled three exploding discs out of his utility belt. He flung them at the ground, just before the robots feet. They detonated, and soil flew up into the flames. They went out for a moment, but then reignited. It was enough, though, and Desmond knew what Robin was going to say before he said it. They jumped away from the robots, then Robin turned to Des.

"Cover them with dirt," he called. "It'll deprive the flames of oxygen. No oxygen, no fire." Desmond nodded, and quickly picked which of the robots he'd be going after. He quickly lowered his density, and grabbed the robot by the wrist. Even in an impossibly low density, the fire still hurt, so Desmond was quick about pulling the flaming machine under the ground completely. He watched it struggle for a while, and then the flames went out completely. He popped up out of the ground.

"Got one!" he called to Robin, who had already taken care of his initial target, and was moving to the final robot. Desmond ran over, and held out a hand. "I have an idea. Give me some of those disks." Robin raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue. He handed Des four discs, and activated them all. Quickly, Des went back underground, and moved directly under the robot. He set the explosives just under the bot's feet, then moved away just before they detonated. Earth sprayed everywhere, and when the cloud of dust cleared, the robot was just a hunk of metal on the ground. Desmond and Robin exchanged a high five, and Aqualad walked over. He placed a hand on both boy's shoulders.

"Fantastic, boys," he said. "That was some quick thinking, you two. Now… onto your next task, yes?" And once again, Desmond blacked out.

XxXxX

When Des woke up, he realized two things immediately. First, he wasn't in a room, like the previous trials. Second, he was alone; no partner, no mentor, nothing. Just then, a voice resonated in his skull.

"Hello, children," came the voice of J'onn J'onzz. "Desmond, Artemis, welcome to your final trial." So he was with Artemis. So he didn't need her skills, or Aqualad's. Martian Manhunter continued. "For this trial, I have placed you at random places within this recreation of the island of Santa Prisca. You two only need to find each other. But you have no communicators, and cannot make use of Miss Martian's mental link. I wish you luck." He shut it off, and all was silent, aside from a few birds or crickets chirping. Desmond wondered how he was going to do this one, but at that very moment, he heard something above his head. He looked up to see a small explosion, illuminating the night sky.

"Artemis!" he said under his breath. She would signal to him with arrows. But how could he signal back? He looked around, but was surrounded primarily by thick trunked trees, reaching high into the sky. Then it hit him. He ran to the nearest tree, and hardened himself. Using his super strength, he grasped the tree around the middle, and began to shake it vigorously. He watched happily as the top of the tree shook, prompting Artemis to fire another exploding arrow. It was closer this time.

Desmond ran through the thick jungle, shaking trees and watching for arrows. _This is easy_, he thought. _We'll be done in—_ but he stopped short, because just then he reached a cliff. Now, this normally wouldn't be a problem, since he could just float over it. But he was worried for Artemis. During the crossing of the gap, Des couldn't shake trees. What if she got off course? And furthermore, if she _did_ alter her course, Des couldn't adjust his flight path too well yet. But he took a deep breath, and leapt off the side of the cliff. He watched Artemis fire an arrow, not being able to respond with a tree-shake. He hoped she would just keep going in that direction; they were almost at each other. Just as he touched down on the ground, he saw Artemis break out of the Jungle in the distance. He got up, and ran to her. They reached each other, and high fived, not really knowing what else to do.

"We're done, Martian Manhunter!" she called. Just then, from out of the ground, rose the alien hero. He smiled gently.

"Excellent, children," he praised. "I see now that you can all work well as a team, even when a valuable team member is absent. I'm proud of you…" Just then, there was a ripple in the air around Desmond and Artemis, and all their other teammates appeared around them, looking confused. "Proud of all of you." Said Manhunter. And then, for the final time, Desmond and the others blacked out.

XxXxX

Desmond woke up in the mission room, along with the rest of the team. He looked around. The only two still not awake were Zatana and Wally. He went to wake them, but a hand rested on his shoulder.

"Let them rest," said Batman. "We're just about to leave, anyway." He moved away from Desmond to stand with the other Leaguers. Well, except Flash, who zipped over to Wally's sleeping form.

"Does anyone have a bucket of warm water?" he asked. The teens all smiled, as did Green Arrow, but Batman gave Flash a death glare, and he returned to the other heroes.

"Your work today was impressive," said Batman, making the team look to each other with admiration. "I'm happy to say that you passed all the tests put in your way, with flying colors no less."

"Does that mean we'll be taking on more tasking missions in the future?" Aqualad asked the question on everyone's mind. The five Leaguers exchanged glances.

"Possibly," said Batman, and left it at that. He turned to leave, and just as the Zeta-tube was lighting up to phase him out, he called behind him. "Have a good Thanksgiving."

_So I hope you enjoyed. In case that little bit at the end didn't inform you, next chapter will be Thanksgiving-based… near Christmas… My planning was off for this one. Speaking of Christmas, I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Anyway, please rate, review, favorite, all that stuff. See you next time, unless the world ends today…_


	25. Thanksgiving

_Author's Note: And while everyone enjoys their Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanza/Festivus, I wrote a chapter on Thanksgiving. Can't wait for a Christmas chapter in February : ) Anyway, please enjoy a Young Justice Thanksgiving!_

**Disclaimer: I own neither Young Justice nor the holiday of Thanksgiving. I don't know what I'd even DO with a holiday…**

Chapter Twenty Five

Thanksgiving

Desmond awoke on Thanksgiving to the smell of Turkey in the oven. M'gann had been cooking for the past three days, almost non-stop. It was ridiculous, but also nice to know they would have all this amazing food for tonight. He got up out of his bed, and pulled on a shirt and pants. He walked out, and into the kitchen. He found M'gann stirring something in a pot. He waved to her, and she smiled back. He moved to the pantry, and pulled out some Cheerios. Pouring himself a bowl, he sat at the table and began chowing down. In stumbled Superboy. M'gann lost control of her stirring for a second, due to Conner's lack of a shirt. Desmond chuckled with a mouthful of cereal.

"Dude," he said. "There's ladies in this cave, too. Put a shirt on." He didn't smile back, and Desmond could see the sleep covering his face like a mask. Conner held out a hand.

"Cereal," was all he said. Des picked up the box of Cheerios and tossed it to Superboy, who caught it in one hand while he procured a bowl for himself with the other. He poured a bowl for himself, and plopped down next to Des.

"Long night?" asked M'gann.

"Why do you say that?" asked the Kryptonian, taking a mouthful of cereal.

"Well," said Desmond. "For one thing, you're eating that with your hands." Conner suddenly widened his eyes, realizing he was, in fact, eating out of the bowl with his bare hands. He mumbled something rude about cereal in general as he went to grab a spoon.

In walked Zatana, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She plopped herself down next to Conner, and reached her hand out, eyes closed. Desmond dribbled some Cheerios into her hand, and she threw them in her mouth shamelessly.

"Well happy Thanksgiving, you guys!" chirped M'gann, the only one of them who really seemed to be awake. Half-hearted replies of "yeah" or "Thanksgiving…" were given. M'gann frowned, and took the last chair at the table. "Why's no one excited?" The three others exchanged some looks.

"M'gann," said Zatana. "I know this is your first Thanksgiving, but it's not _that_ big a deal. I've had tons of them." M'gann nodded, and then looked to Conner and Des.

"But what about you guys?" she asked. "Why aren't you excited? This is your _first_ Thanksgiving, Conner, like me." The boys exchanged looks again.

"I've never really been into Thanksgiving," said Desmond. He didn't add why, but Zatana and Conner both knew it was because of Ra's. Even though those two and Artemis already knew about his family, Des was still trying to keep it a secret from the other members of Young Justice for as long as possible.

"Yeah," said Conner. "And I'm just not that excited. I don't know… food is food, you know?" M'gann made a pouty face, and floated away to continue stirring. Conner turned to Zatana and Desmond. "What's with her?" Desmond and Zatana smirked.

"How're we supposed to know?" asked Des.

"She's _your_ girlfriend," finished Zatana. Desmond nodded in agreement. "Go talk to her." Prompted Zatana. Conner sighed, rubbed his face of sleep again, and got up from the table. Zatana turned to Des, who was taking another spoonful of cereal. "Speaking of girlfriends, you going to wish Artemis a happy Thanksgiving?" Desmond nearly choked on his cereal. He coughed, swallowing it down. What was Zatana implying? Geez…

"What about you?" he asked her, somewhat defensively.

"What _about_ me?" asked the magician.

"Oh come on," said Desmond. "You're not an idiot, Z. Robin's obviously got the hots for you, and you like him back." Zatana blushed heavily, and looked away. Desmond nodded.

"That's what I thought," he said. "The others are dropping by the cave later. We'll both tell them happy Thanksgiving." Zatana shrugged, then smiled almost wickedly.

"Kissed her yet?" asked Zatana.

"What?"

"You heard me," she said. "Have you kissed Artemis yet?" Now it was Desmond's turn to look away, and blush slightly. Zatana sat back in her chair, looking smug.

"That's what I thought," she said, matter-of-factly. "So shove it, Shift-head." That name never got old.

XxXxX

Some time passed, and it was now the afternoon. M'gann had pretty much wrapped up all the cooking, and was going back to the kitchen periodically just to check on a few things. Conner, Des and Zatana were relaxing in the living room, watching some Thanksgiving specials. Then they heard the Zeta-tube kick up, and quickly went to the Mission Room. M'gann joined them, and the four heroes found Kaldur, Artemis, Wally, and Robin. They were joined by Captain Marvel, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Flash and even Batman. The four residents of Mount Justice instantly invited the heroes and their teammates inside, and they all met in the living room.

"Whatever you are cooking smells delicious, M'gann," Martian Manhunter praised his niece. "You are an excellent chef of earth cuisine." M'gann beamed.

"Thank you, uncle J'onn," she said.

"Yeah, smells great in here," said Kid Flash. He looked at his uncle, who nodded. Then, in a flurry of red (from Flash) and blue (Wally's jacket) there was suddenly a substantial amount of side dish missing from the counter, as it was now in the speedsters' arms. They quickly munched away, as the teens chuckled, and Batman groaned.

"Are you guys going to have Thanksgiving in the Watchtower?" Desmond asked, mostly directing it to Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, the heroes who didn't have other people like them to celebrate.

"I will be staying with a friend of mine this evening," said Martian Manhunter. Desmond looked to M'gann, but she seemed equally confused.

"And my king and I will be spending the night in Atlantis," answered Aqualad for his mentor. "We have a holiday very similar to your Thanksgiving. Just without the turkey, of course." This got a laugh from a few heroes. Kaldur's jokes were rare, so people often laughed more than natural for them.

"In fact," said Batman, glancing at his holographic watch. "The League members and I should be leaving. We just dropped by to wish you all a happy holiday. And now that that's done…" he turned to leave.

"Wait!" called Conner unexpectedly. Batman turned back to him, eyebrow raised. "Uh… Superman?" asked the Kryptonian hopefully. All eyes went to the floor. Batman sadly shook his head, then left with the rest of the Leaguers.

XxXxX

The full team had been just relaxing for a while now, watching television or getting whatever delicious food Megan could spare. Robin and Zatana sat on a couch, and Desmond sat with Artemis. Wally, persistent as always, was in the kitchen with M'gann. Even her relationship with Conner wouldn't keep him away. Kaldur and Conner each had their own chair. The time they spent together was filled with talking, laughter, and TV watching, like a holiday should.

Slowly, team members began leaving. First was Wally, hoping to get home in time to have some pre-meal food. The team wished him a good Thanksgiving, and he was gone. Next went Kaldur, eager to return to see his king once again. They bid him a well holiday, and he departed. Robin got up to go, saying if he wasn't at the Batcave in twenty minutes, Batman would wring his neck. Zatana walked hi m out. When she returned and sat down, both Artemis and Desmond raised their eyebrows at her expectantly.

"Well…?" asked Artemis. Zatana, in response, threw a couch cushion at the two other heroes, who laughed it off.

Eventually it became time for Artemis to leave as well, saying she would be with Green Arrow (though Zatana and Conner knew the truth; that she would be with her mom, the retired villain Huntress.)

"I'll walk you out," offered Desmond. The two got up, and moved to go to the mission room. Zatana elbowed Desmond in the side as he passed her, and she gave him a thumbs up. He gave her a less polite gesture, but meant it jokingly, of course. The two teens walked into the mission room, and Artemis went to activate the Zeta-tube. Then she turned to Desmond.

"You know what I'm thankful for?" she asked, sounding kind of festive for the holiday. Desmond shook his head no. "You, Des. I'm thankful for you." Desmond's eyebrows raised.

"Uh, I'm thankful for you too, Artemis," he said. That was sweet of her, but kind of weird, and really out of character. She rolled her eyes, and pushed him gently.

"Not because we're a _thing_," she explained. "Do you remember our first mission together?" Desmond thought for a second, and then recalled it.

"Killer Croc," he said, and she nodded. "We both came out of that one smelling like crap, huh?" she smiled, but continued with the topic of conversation.

"You saved my life in there," she reminded him. He remembered; her almost drowning, and him giving her CPR. "I'm thankful you joined this team, Desmond. Or else I might not be here." Desmond didn't know what to say. So instead he leaned in, kissed her forehead, and muttered;

"Happy Thanksgiving, Artemis." She smiled, then turned and Zeta-beamed away.

XxXxX

It was some time later now, getting close to dinner. Zatana and M'gann were putting the finishing touches on the turkey, and then they would eat. Conner and Desmond were relaxing in the living room after a quick sparring session. Sitting around watching TV all day got boring, you know?

Yet another Thanksgiving special was on, and the two boys were practically asleep with boredom. Then Superboy sat up suddenly in his chair, gripping the sides of his head.

"Conner?" asked Desmond, suddenly alert to his friends discomfort. "You alright, buddy?" The Kryptonian grit his teeth as he clutched his hands to his ears. Then, just as suddenly as this strange behavior had started, it stopped. Then Conner stood up, and began to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going?" M'gann asked, noticing the teenager making an exit.

"Just for a walk," he said, not turning back. M'gann tried to protest, but Conner wouldn't hear it. "I'll be back soon. No big deal." He was out of their view now. The three teens exchanged some looks, and then Desmond got up and followed Conner.

"Hey man, what's up?" he asked, catching up to his friend in the hallway to the Mission Room. He grabbed Conner on the shoulder. "Something's going on. Don't try to hide it. I saw you in there; you looked like you were in pain." Conner turned to Desmond, with a mixture of anger, fear and sadness.

"I…" the Kryptonian started, but then looked away. "I can't tell you. Sorry, Des. It's… a touchy subject." Desmond knew what Conner was like when a subject was 'touchy.' He decided to let the Kryptonian go, and sort out his own problems.

"Just… be careful out there," Desmond said. He had no idea why; any member of Young Justice could hold their own with almost any threat. But something about this whole situation seemed off somehow, like something really important was going to happen. Conner nodded grimly, then Zeta-beamed away.

Desmond returned to the kitchen, where Zatana and M'gann were finishing setting the table. M'gann looked at Desmond hopefully.

"He has some things to sort out," he told her. She looked crestfallen. "But he should be home for desert." Des offered. M'gann smiled ever so slightly.

"Well…" said Zatana after a moment. "This food isn't going to eat itself, you know." Desmond and M'gann nodded, and the three heroes sat down to begin what would be a delicious Thanksgiving meal.

XxXxX

About three fourths of the way through dinner, the three teens heard a sound they didn't expect. The Zeta-tube. They all exchanged looks, all thinking that Conner was back.

"Superboy?" called M'gann. They waited, hearing the footsteps get closer and closer. Then, from around the corner, came a voice.

"Close," it said. It sounded very familiar to Desmond, but he couldn't place it. Then the owner of that voice walked around the corner, and Desmond immediately knew why he recognized it. It was the voice of Superman.

"Superman!" exclaimed Desmond, standing to attention for some unknown reason. He moved over to the man of steel, and eagerly shook his outstretched hand. "Happy Thanksgiving, Superman," he said. The Kryptonian smiled.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Shifter," he said. Desmond realized he only knew him by his code name. Superman looked past Desmond to the girls, who were watching expectantly. "Happy Thanksgiving, girls," the hero called. They smiled in response.

"What're you doing here?" asked Desmond, then realized how that sounded. "I mean… shouldn't you be off having your own Thanksgiving? Hardly anyone's at this one." Superman nodded slowly, looking around the room.

"So… Superboy is out, I see?" he asked. Desmond nodded. The Kryptonian looked around again, then turned around. "Can you come with me, Shifter?"

"Uh, sure," said Des. "And, um, if it's not to forward, you can call me Desmond." The man of steel smiled.

"That's fine, Desmond," he said. Des gave sign to the girls, and then followed Superman into the Mission Room. This was a very daunting experience. Not only was he talking one on one with a Leaguer, he was one on one with one of the Big Three Leaguers.

"What exactly is it you want to talk about, Superman?" Desmond asked expectantly. Superman turned back to the teenager, and sighed heavily.

"It's… it's about Superboy," he said. Desmond didn't know how to feel. Could he talk on behalf of his friend? And to Superman, no less? "Has he… been talking about me?" That was a weird question. Does Conner talk about Superman? No, hardly ever if he can avoid it. Well, actually…

"Not usually," admitted Desmond. "Except after that whole episode with the Ice Fortresses. For a few days you were all that was on his mind…" Desmond chuckled suddenly, remembering something. "He got a paper handed back in school, and I saw that he'd drawn tons of your S shields all over it." Superman smiled warmly, as if he was being praised.

"So," said Superman. "The anger he used to feel towards me…?"

"I'd say it's pretty much gone," Desmond confirmed. "In fact, he was only angry because you weren't taking an interest in him. But now…"

"I'm not sure about now," said Superman, cutting the teenager off. "About _right_ now, I mean. But, Desmond, I do want to have a bigger presence in his life. It's just… strange." They shared a silent moment together. Then, Superman turned to leave, saying he should be getting back to his other arrangements. "And Desmond," he said over his shoulder. "Thank you for being such a good friend to him." Desmond smiled.

"Should I tell him you stopped by?" he asked the superhero. Superman could was visibly debating it in his head.

"It would be best not to," he decided at last. "In fact, let's not tell anyone about this little meeting. But thank you again, Desmond. You're a good kid." And with that, Superman departed, and Desmond returned to the table in time for the first slice of pie.

_So that chapter was full of nice feelings all around, yeah? Desmond and Artemis, Zatana and Robin, and Superman's parental feelings finally emerging. I don't want to ruin anything, but I do have plans for the Kryptonians to become a lot closer than they were in the TV show (or at least closer before season 2.) I hope you enjoyed the chapter, had very happy holidays, and I'll see you in 2013!_


	26. An Unexpected Guest

_Author's Note: So whatever happened to that Desmond guy? I mean, he seemed pretty cool, right? Things were going good, but then he just sort of stopped doing things. I know, I know, it's been way too long. I don't really have an excuse; it started with long weeks, then months, and at some point I just stopped wanting to write. But I suddenly got a second wind, and now I'm back. So, if you need to reread a few chapters to remember where you left off, go right ahead. The continuation of 'A New Addition' will be here when you get back._

**Disclaimer: I own none of Young Justice, only Desmond. Man it's been a while since I've done one of these.**

Chapter Twenty Six

An Unexpected Guest

After a sparring session with Kid Flash, Desmond reclined M'gann, Kaldur and Conner in the TV room. Zatana and Wally were in the kitchen, snacking on something or other. The day had been spent with training exercises, and Artemis had left for home a few hours before. The others would be leaving soon, wrapping up a busy day. Well, that had been the plan anyway.

"Recognized, Green Arrow, 08," came the voice of the Zeta-Tube. Everyone looked towards the cave, Desmond and Wally getting up in preparation to meet the hero. Desmond assumed he would be accompanied by Artemis. Then the Zeta-Tube continued reading designations, and Desmond almost fell back in his seat. "Recognized, Speedy, B06." Speedy? Red Arrow?

"What's he doing here?" Desmond whispered to Conner. Wally and Kaldur had quickly made their way to greet their old friend. They were followed by M'gann and Zatana, but Conner and Des held back.

"More importantly," said Conner in Desmond's ear. "What's Green Arrow doing without Artemis?"

"Should I call her?" Des asked, pulling out his cell phone. Conner shook his head, and Desmond shrugged. The two boys walked in the Mission Room, and found Kaldur and Wally chatting with Roy, and Zatana and M'gann hanging back a bit.

"I can't believe it!" he heard Wally exclaim. "Took you long enough!" Desmond wondered what was going on, and walked over to M'gann and Zatana.

"What's all the commotion about?" he asked.

"Green Arrow said Roy's joining the team," Zatana informed him. "Isn't that great?" Desmond and Conner exchanged worried looks, and then Desmond looked to Roy. Wally was buzzing around him, telling him how great things were going to be and what not. But Desmond definitely caught Roy looking back at him, giving him a glare. Desmond glared right back at the red clad archer.

"Does M'gann know about the mole thing?" Desmond said. He made his voice barely above a whisper; he almost couldn't hear himself. But he knew Conner's super hearing would pick it up. He turned slightly, and watched the Kryptonian nod. Desmond looked to the Martian, and saw she had an uneasy face on as well. Wally and Kaldur walked over to the others, leading Roy to them.

"Zatana," Roy said, taking her hand. Desmond saw the magician blush slightly, and made a mental note to keep the two away from each other. _Sure he trusts HER_, Desmond thought. _She's been in the hero business as long as he has. No way she's a mole._

"Nice to see you again, Red Arrow," said M'gann politely. Desmond knew she didn't mean it, and so did Roy. "Glad you're joining the team." Roy faked a smile, and shook her hand as well.

"Yeah," said Desmond quietly. "Thrilled." He smiled as he grasped Roy's hand, but made sure he gripped tighter than need be. Roy returned the pressure in his own handshake.

"Nice seeing you again, Shifter," he lied. Then he leaned in closer. "I've got my eye on you. On all of you." Desmond smiled, covering up the anger he wanted to express.

Just then the Zeta-Tube flashed again. "Recognized, Artemis, B07." Desmond quickly brushed past Red Arrow to head for the only archer on Young Justice he had any liking for. When Artemis saw Roy and her mentor in the room, she stopped in her tracks.

"Artemis!" called Green Arrow. "Just in time. Look who's decided to join the team!" She glared at Roy for a moment.

"Good," she said quietly, but loud enough for all to hear. "Team's needed a _real_ archer." What was _that_ all about? Desmond considered asking her about it, but didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone.

Green Arrow, not seeming to notice hi9s "niece's" snide comment, moved over to the holo-computer. "Alright people, listen up," he said. He began typing something in, and images began popping up. "The dynamic duo's on a case in Gotham, but Batman gave me a heads-up. Sportsmaster's been spotted coming through Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport." Desmond glanced to Artemis, who was starring at the screen, mouth agape. "Find out what he's up to."

"All of us?" asked Conner, clearly hoping to stay away from Red Arrow. "It seems a little much for a shadow job."

"Thought the sidekicks," Began Green Arrow. But he quickly caught himself. "Sorry, _ex_-sidekicks, could handle this one. Aqualad, Kid Flash, Red Arrow." Desmond breathed a sigh of relief, also having no wish to spend time with the new archer.

"I want in," said Artemis suddenly. What was she dong? "With M'gann and Robin out of the picture, I have the most time logged piloting the Bio-ship." Desmond tried to catch her gaze, but the teenager was dead set on this.

"Are you sure?" asked Green Arrow. Artemis nodded solemnly.

"Then I'm in too," Desmond said, stepping up from the back of the room. All eyes, including Artemis', shifted to him. _Great, now I need an excuse_, he thought to himself. "If Superboy's staying behind, you might need some muscle on your side. Unless Roy's been benching a lot since we last met." The snarky closing remark made Wally, Conner and Zatana smile, but Roy scowled.

"That sounds smart," said Green Arrow, not allowing his former protégé decline Desmond's request to join in. "The five of you should make your way to the Orleans Parish as soon as you can." There was a pause. "That means now, people!"

XxXxX

The Bio-ship sailed over a lake near the Orleans Parish. Desmond, Artemis and Kid Flash were sitting in the cockpit area, while Aqualad and Red Arrow were prepping something in the back.

Eventually, Wally stood up. "I'm going to see what's taking them so long back there," he said. He moved to the door, but took a quick glance back. "Don't make out while I'm gone; Artemis still has to fly this thing." Desmond chuckled good naturedly, but knew that making out was the _last_ thing they'd be doing. As soon as Wally was gone, Desmond walked over to Artemis' seat, and kneeled down so they would be leveled.

"What are you _doing _here?" she demanded him in a whisper. "Why'd you come with on the mission?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Desmond countered. "Are you trying to prove something with Red Arrow here?" Artemis looked like she wanted to give a rebuttal, but instead shifted her gaze away. Desmond suddenly lost his anger, seeing how insecure about this Artemis truly was. He took her chin in his hand and pulled her face back to his. "Hey, are you serious right now? Artemis, you don't need to prove anything to anyone here. You're the best archer I've ever seen." He took a quick glance to make sure no one else was around. "And you're not a complete ass like another archer nearby." She smiled, but it quickly flitted away.

"It's not funny, Des," she said quietly. Determination covered her face once again. "I know I don't have anything to prove to _you_. But to Wally, and Kaldur, and Robin. To Green Arrow…" She trailed off, and turned away again. Desmond sighed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Fine," he said. "Then prove it to them. Prove it to all of them that you're a thousand times the better archer. I'll be with you every step of the way." She still didn't look back, so Desmond slowly walked back to his seat to prepare for landing in a few minutes. And he knew now that Artemis wasn't trying to prove it to the team, or to Green Arrow. She was trying to prove it to herself.

XxXxX

From his perch atop a rather tall, leafy tree, Desmond watched Sportsmaster's power boat speed down the river. He looked back a bit, and saw Red Arrow following on a wave runner. He knew Aqualad was somewhere below the river, and Artemis somewhere above, in the Bio-ship. He was to hop on his motorcycle (a recent addition the ever growing group of cycles stored in the Cave) and meet up with Kid Flash, also on a motorcycle. Desmond leapt from the treetop and hit the ground with a thud, making a small crater. He walked to where he'd stashed his bike, propped it up, and revved it to life. It sped him along the road, and soon enough he was next to KF.

"Hey," he said to the speedster through their radio-connected helmets. "So what's the plan?" Kid Flash shrugged (at least it looked like a shrug, though it was hard to tell on the motorcycle.)

"For now?" he said. "We tail him. But at a distance." Desmond nodded, and the two continued along the road. For a while nothing happened; they couldn't see Sportsmaster or Red Arrow, but were told that they should keep on the same path unless directed otherwise. Then, suddenly, Red Arrow called over the communicators.

"Sportsmaster's stopped," he said. "Hold your positions. I'm going in for a closer look." Shifter and Kid Flash slowed down their bikes to a stop, and then propped them up against some nearby trees. KF removed his helmet, and wiped his brow of sweat.

"So?" he asked. "Whatd'ya think of Red Arrow, huh? Good addition to the team or what?" Shifter looked at the ground.

"Or what," he said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Oh nothing," said Desmond. He was hoping Wally wouldn't bring it up again. Luckily for him, he didn't. But that was only because, just then, both their headsets came alive with the sounds of a struggle. He heard Red Arrow say something, but it was kind of muffled. Then he heard Artemis say something, and the sound of an arrow being released. "They're in trouble!" he exclaimed, mounting his motorcycle again. Kid Flash didn't bother, and ran alongside Shifter's bike as they moved towards where Red Arrow had reported his position to be.

They arrived at the scene of something unexpected. Red Arrow, on the ground, pinned down by Cheshire. Making out.

"Weird," said Desmond under his breath. KF raced forward and knocked Cheshire off his old friend's body. Red Arrow quickly ran to the shore of the river, and launched an arrow after a speeding boat (which Shifter assumed was Sportsmaster.) It didn't hit, but something small fell out of the tip, and Desmond assumed it was a tracker. Red Arrow jumped back on his wave runner, and sped off down the river after Sportsmaster.

"Well well well," said Cheshire, her mask back on her face. "When one cute boy leaves the party, two more show up. This'll be fun." Desmond hardened himself.

"Let's dance," he said, sounding cliché even to himself. He lunged at Cheshire, who easily side stepped it. Artemis fired an arrow, but she knocked it away with her sai. Kid Flash sped over and tripped her, but she quickly did a handspring and was back on her feet. Desmond came from behind and tried to sweep her legs out from under her, but she jumped into the air. She landed on his chest with enough force to pin him momentarily. He quickly phased through the ground, and Kid Flash rammed into her, sending her into a tree. Desmond came up just in time to have Cheshire throw KF directly at him. The two boys tumbled backwards, colliding with Artemis into a heap on the ground. When they stood, Cheshire was gone. Kid Flash and Shifter looked to Artemis expectantly.

"Tracer's on her sword," the archer confirmed. Desmond and Wally smiled. Just then, the sound of Red Arrow's wave runner approached, and Wally and Desmond went to meet them. Artemis caught up after a moment, and held up a tracker. "Cheshire's heading north."

"Sportsmaster was heading south," said Roy, sounding annoyed. "Kind of like this mission."

"Maybe one of them will double back," Shifter suggested. "They'll have to meet up eventually, and when they do, we'll get to them,"

"Sportsmaster acquired an attaché case," said Aqualad. "We need to find out what it contained," he looked to Artemis. "If you had stayed aboard the Bio0ship—"

"I saw Cheshire sneaking up on _him_," she said, gesturing to Red Arrow.

"Then you radio a warning," he said.

"And is she found you by hacking our frequency?" Artemis retorted. The two were toe to toe in a verbal battle at this point; the animosity between Green Arrow's protégés was clear.

"Let's just stop this arguing, and start looking for Cheshire," Desmond suggested. Artemis tossed Roy the tracker.

"Here," she said bitterly. "Since clearly _I_ can't be trusted, you track her." Desmond and Wally exchanged a look, and Desmond went and grabbed the tracker from Roy's hand. He held it back out to Artemis. She sighed, and turned to walk away. "It's fine, I'll… follow in the Bio-ship." Desmond quickly placed the tracker back in Roy's hand, and jogged to catch up with her.

"I'm coming with you," he told her. She was acting strange and, frankly, he was concerned. She held up a hand.

"No, Des, it's fine," she assured him. "Go with the others. Keep an eye on Roy, okay?" Desmond looked conflicted, but eventually sighed. He leaned in and gave Artemis a kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful," he said, then ran off to join the others.

XxXxX

Red Arrow, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Shifter raced along, either in land or in the water. Roy's tracker had fallen off, but he assumed Sportsmaster was still going south. The four teens sped along, barely saying a word. Shifter couldn't stop thinking about Artemis, and how strange she was acting. He hoped she wouldn't do something stupid to prove her place on the team. It might backfire horribly.

Just then, Red Arrow came to a stop on his wave runner. Aqualad surfaced next to him, and KF and Shifter stopped their motorcycles. "I see Sportsmaster' s boat," radioed Red Arrow. "Aqualad, Kid Flash and Shifter, hold your positions. I'm going in."

"No way," radioed Shifter. "Not without me you're not."

"Stay _put_, Shifter," repeated Red Arrow. "That's an order." Desmond wanted to retort. Wanted to tell off the newest member, let him know the only reason he was here was because the three founding members were his friends. He wanted to tell the others about Red Arrow's thoughts on a mole on the team, and that Desmond and Artemis were his prime suspects. But instead, he sat on the seat of his parked bike, crossed his arms, and hoped for the best.

Wally walked over. "Hey Des," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "Listen, I know Roy can be… hard to swallow sometimes."

"No kidding," mumbled Desmond.

"He's always been like that; really competitive and assertive. But, if you can see his good side, he's actually not such a bad guy. So… maybe you and Artemis should give him a chance."

_What about Superboy and Miss Martian?_ Desmond thought. But instead he sighed, shrugged and said "I'll try." Just then, Aqualad radioed Desmond.

"Red Arrow has located Cheshire and Sportsmaster," he informed the teen in a rushed tone. "They're in a warehouse just north of here. Get there, now." He didn't have to tell Desmond twice. The hero hopped on his motorcycle, and was off.

When Shifter arrived, he saw several explosions coming from inside the warehouse. He assumed it was Red Arrow dealing with Cheshire. He spotted Sportsmaster, moving to enter the warehouse as well. Desmond leapt off is motorcycle, glided through the air, then hardened himself and delivered a kick to the back of Sportsmaster's head. The villain sprawled across the ground, but quickly picked himself up. He held a javelin in his hand.

"Well well," he said cockily. "The Demon's Son is here to save his teammates, huh? Do they know who you really are? Maybe I should fill them in." Desmond sprinted at Sportsmaster, and kicked him in the chest. He flew through the air, into the warehouse, and collided with an empty wooden crate, sending splinters of wood everywhere. Desmond ran in after him, and found Red Arrow and Artemis dealing with Cheshire. He had only stopped to look a moment at his two teammates when he was struck in the shoulder by Sportsmaster's javelin. Desmond's density was still high, so the tip didn't pierce him, but it did knock him back a few steps. Shifter returned fire with the same javelin, but Sportsmaster knocked it aside. An arrow came out of nowhere, and the small explosion that erupted from it sent Sportsmaster down. Desmond looked to Artemis, but she was busy with Cheshire. Then he noticed Red Arrow, facing him. Desmond nodded to the archer, then leapt at Sportsmaster, delivering a punch to his chest. He fell, and stayed down for a moment.

Suddenly there was a bright red light, and the three heroes looked to the back room that it was coming from. Cheshire took the opportunity to jump Artemis, but Shifter tackled her to the ground. "Go see what that is!" he called to Artemis. She nodded, and ran to the door. Cheshire flipped Desmond over, but, he sunk both of them through the floor. Cheshire knew better than to wrestle herself away from Desmond's grasp, seeing as she would no longer have the lowered density. So she let herself get dragged as far away from the door as possible, and when Desmond resurfaced, she delivered a swift kick to his gut.

Suddenly, just as Desmond was about to punch Cheshire in the jaw, she turned to solid ice. His fist smashed through, and sent chunks of ice everywhere. He turned to see Red Arrow in the same situation.

"What was…" he asked. Then Artemis walked out of the room.

"Klarion," she said. "He teleported away, and replaced their bodies with ice."

"Who was he with?" asked Red Arrow.

"I saw…" Artemis said, thinking for a moment. "I saw Professor Ivo, with his robot monkey. I saw Monsieur Mallah, and The Brain. And we know they're working with Cheshire and Sportsmaster." There was silence for a moment.

"Let's get back to base," suggested Shifter. "We'll piece it together there."

XxXxX

"Let me be clear," said Aqualad, addressing the team sternly. "We failed. Though the Injustice League is in custody, their allies still scheme. And we have learned nothing of their plans."

"Gee," said Red Arrow, crossing his arms and looking to Artemis. "I wonder why."

"Don't put this on her!" Desmond demanded.

"Hey!" she said. "_Who_ found out Sportsmaster was working for Brain Klarion and Ivo?"

"Yeah, great intel," said Roy sarcastically. "Except Ivo's been in Bell Reve the whole time!" Artemis' eyes widened. "And the guards just checked; it's the real Ivo, not a robot. And there's this…" He held up one of Artemis' tracers.

"Yeah, so?" asked Desmond about the tracer. "Cheshire ditched it."

"No, Artemis ditched _that_," he said, motioning to the tracer that was now in Aqualad's hands. "To send us on a wild goose chase. She put _this_ one on Cheshire." He held up a different tracer. Desmond and Kid Flash, both shocked, turned to Artemis.

"No," Desmond whispered. "Artemis, you wouldn't do that, would you?" She looked away.

"You had to prove yourself by bringing down the bad guys solo?" asked Kid Flash. "Well, what you proved, is that you're insecure, and selfish." Desmond wanted to tell Wally to back off, but he knew he was right. Artemis had really messed up this time.

"So how will you betray us next time?" asked Red Arrow angrily.

"Knock it off!" yelled Desmond.

"Enough," said Aqualad, putting his hands on Desmond and Roy's chests. "If making a mistake was a betrayal we would _all_ be traitors. I must report to Batman. The rest of you… get some sleep." Aqualad walked towards the Zeta-tube, and Superboy, Miss Martian and Zatana walked off to their rooms. When just Roy, Artemis and Desmond were alone, Roy crossed his arms at the two of them.

"You're not who you say you are," he said stoically. "Neither of you. Desmond may have left my line of sight, but only because of you Artemis. But this isn't over for either of you. Not by a long shot." And with that he moved to the Zeta-tube, and was gone.

"What were you thinking?" Demanded Desmond. "I told you you didn't need to prove yourself. And what did you do? You cost us the mission."

"Okay, I get it!" she said, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "I already feel crappy enough from Roy, I didn't think I needed to worry about it from you two, Desmond." Desmond sighed.

"I just…" he tried for the right words. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. You heard Roy, he's watching us. We've got to play it safe around him, for now anyways. I know you only did this because you thought it was the right thing to do, but next time…" he paused, hoping he wasn't offending her. "Next time think it through more." And with that Desmond moved past Artemis to his own bedroom. He heard the Zeta-beam flash, and laid down in bed, hoping Artemis would be more careful next time.

_So not a bad comeback, right? Listen, my schedule keeps getting busier and busier, but I'm really going to try and update a lot more often. But no promises. Anyway, I really hoped you all enjoyed Desmond's return, and can't wait to read more. The fact that people kept reading even after a month or so of nothing really encouraged me to keep writing. So I thank you all, and hope to write more soon._


	27. A Night in Bludhaven

_Author's Note: I'm getting back into the swing of things! Though slightly shorter, I liked writing this chapter. There may be some foreshadowing near the end; see if you can catch it. I'm joking, it's not that hard to find if you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: Everyone besides Desmond belongs to someone else.**

Chapter Twenty Seven

A Night in Blüdhaven

"Anything new?" asked Conner over the communicators, sounding bored. "Stakeouts make me crazy. Have I mentioned that?"

"Yes," came the resounding response from Robin, Zatana and Shifter. The four members of Young Justice were on a stakeout in the city of Blüdhaven, which Desmond hadn't been back to since his first meeting with Red Arrow. Speaking of Red Arrow, Desmond wasn't quite sure how he felt having him back at Mount Justice with Artemis. If he pulled something funny, he'd never forgive himself for taking the stakeout mission.

"What exactly are we looking for, anyway?" asked Zatana. "Specifically, I mean."

"Bright flashes of red, usually," said Superboy. "Intergang's got a lot of alien weapons that give off a weird red glow." Since Superboy was the only one on the team who'd had previous interactions with the mysterious, alien tech dealing crime syndicate, they all had to look to him for advice.

"Is Batman _sure_ about this?" Shifter asked. He was positioned on a rooftop overlooking a large courtyard, and he also had several alleyways in his line of sight. "Where does he get this intel anyway, the Bat-Computer?"

"Don't joke," said Robin impatiently. "I don't know if he was right or not."

"Well so far," said the Kryptonian. "I'd go with not." They'd been positioned in their respective spots for a little over an hour now. It was nearing midnight. Batman had informed them that he had reason to believe Intergang would be making some sort of transaction with another gang at eleven. So far there'd been no sign of them.

"Sorry Rob," said Zatana. She was sitting on a building across from Desmond, but with a view of the outer streets. "I don't think they're coming. You'll need to tell Batman that no one showed." Robin sighed over the communicator.

"I guess you're right," he said glumly. "Fine, let's rendezvous at the meeting point."

"Alright," said the three other heroes. Desmond rose from his post, and looked towards the previously agreed upon meeting point. He watched as Robin, illuminated by the moonlight, sprang from the billboard he had been perched on. He flipped in the air, landed on a rooftop, and kept on running. Shifter followed suit, running from the edge of one rooftop and leaping to the next. Soon he reached the meeting point with Robin. Zatana soon floated down from the sky, and Conner landed with a thud next to the other three.

"Well, now what?" he asked, sounding slightly impatient. "We can't just call it a night, can we?" Desmond and Zatana shared a glance.

"Yeah we can," said the young magician. "I'm beat." Desmond nodded in agreement, but Robin shook his head.

"No, Superboy's right," he said. "Batman sent us out here to do some good. Even though we can't do it the way he intended, we can still probably find some way to aid the people around here." Shifter shrugged.

"Well, boy wonder," he said. "Any ideas?" Robin mused on it for a bit. He looked as if he was about to say something, but then a noise caught everyone's attention. The sound of screaming, and a sudden wave of heat hit them all. The turned to where it was coming from, and found there was a convenience store nearby. Up in smoke.

"Move!" shouted Robin. He didn't need to tell them twice; Shifter and Superboy both ran to the edge of the nearest building and leapt off towards the burning store.

"Etativel!" shouted Zatana, and rose up into the sky. She levitated towards the store as well. Robin pulled a grapple launcher out of his utility belt, and shot it towards the flaming store.

Desmond and Conner were first on the scene. Flames were shooting out of the two front windows of the store, and people were screaming and fleeing. Robin and Zatana arrived, and Rob quickly took control of the situation.

"Superboy, Shifter, get in there and see if anyone needs to make it out," he said. "Zatana, work on putting out the flames. I'll see what started the fire. Go!" The others nodded, and Des and Conner ran in through the doors. For a moment Desmond could see nothing past the orange blaze and the grey smoke. His density was raised, so it didn't hurt much, but he really hoped his suit was flame retardant.

"Help!" came a strangled voice. "Someone help me, please!" The boys both moved towards it, but then another voice called out from a different direction. The heroes split up, Desmond going left and Superboy going right. Shifter heard the voice coming from the back of the store. He sprinted towards it, phasing through stands of magazines and shelves full of food. He eventually reached the back corner of the small store, to find a woman lying on the floor. Shifter quickly helped her to her feet.

"Can you walk?" he asked concerned. She nodded warily.

"I think so," she said. "But my daughter. She's in the bathroom in the back." Desmond weighed out the options. He could save this woman before him, but couldn't guarantee the daughter's safety. And vice versa. He held out a hand.

"Grab on!" he shouted over the roar of the flames. The woman did so, her hand shaking violently. He quickly lowered both their densities, and rushed through the wall nearest them. When they were safely out, Desmond released her hand. "Go around the front ma'am. Another hero, the daughter of Zatara, is out there extinguishing flames. I'll get your daughter."

"Thank you!" the woman called, and Shifter phased back through the wall again. He made his way for the back of the store where the bathrooms were.

"Shifter to Robin," he called, pressing a hand to his ear. "A woman will be meeting Zatana around the front. Her daughter is trapped inside. I'm going back in."

"Affirmative, Shifter," Robin responded. "Attention Superboy. I've found the source of the flames. Two thugs with a flamethrower. Meet me at their position."

"Got it," said Superboy.

"I'll meet up with you after I save the girl," said Shifter. He took his hand off the communicator and ran towards the bathroom door. He kicked it down, and walked in. The flames had reached the inside of the room by now, and a small girl, maybe seven or eight, was sitting in the corner, screaming. Desmond out a hand.

"Where's my mommy?" shouted the girl, clearly terrified. Desmond, not being good with kids, reached forward and grabbed the girl by the arm.

"She's safe," he assured the child. "Come with me, I'll get you back to her." The girl wiped her face of tears, and nodded. Desmond wrapped both his arms around the small girl, and sprinted through the flames. Their densities lowered, Shifter and the girl phased through the flames. He felt them stinging him slightly, and hoped the child wasn't in pain. He ran past the figures of four people (Robin, Superboy, and the two thugs) in a struggled, and finally burst out of the front door.

"Shifter!" came Zatana's voice. He looked to where she was, the woman he had rescued standing behind her. Desmond ran over, and carefully placed the girl on the ground. She embraced her mother tightly.

"Thank you," said the woman, sounding exhausted. "Thank you so much." Desmond nodded curtly, then turned to Zatana.

"How's it coming with those flames?"

"Not too bad," she said. Then she raised her arms high over her head. "Retaw Emoc Htrof!" A gush of water shot out of her hands, extinguishing some of the nearby flames. Desmond nodded again.

"Robin and Superboy are handling the thugs that started this fire in the first place," he informed the magician. "I'm going in for back up." She nodded in response, and Desmond hardened himself to brace the flames.

He found Robin and Conner fighting the two would-be store robbers. As Robin had said, one of them indeed had a flamethrower in his hands. The other carried a baseball bat. Desmond ran up.

"How's it going?" he asked Robin, who tossed some explosive discs at the flamethrower-totting criminal. The fire that spouted out of the machine melted the discs in the air.

"Not great," Robin admitted. "Where'd they get a flamethrower anyway?" Desmond shrugged. He moved over to Superboy, who was throwing food items at the bat wielding thug.

"Maneuver sixteen!" they said, almost simultaneously. "I'm launched first!" called Desmond, acting slightly childish, despite the situation. Superboy grabbed Shifter's wrists, spun in a few tight, fast circles, then launched Shifter at the thug with the bat. With his heightened density, Shifter's collision with the thug sent them both to a shelve full of cereal. It crashed to the floor, and Desmond lifted the man into the air. He slammed his forehead into the thug's, then tossed him into a wall, where he slumped, unconscious.

Just then, the man with the flamethrower walked up. "Hope you like things _hot_!" he said, making cliché bad puns. He blasted flames towards Shifter, who had just enough time to sink below the floor before the spot he had been standing in was engulfed in flames.

"Hey Pyro!" called a voice behind the robber. He turned, but could do nothing as Robin through a thick line of wire around his body. With the click of a trigger in Robin's hand, electricity lit up the wire, electrocuting the thug, and making him fall flat on his face.

"Taser wire," said Desmond, walking up to Robin, who was standing over the fallen thug. "Nice."

"Where does a common street thug get a flamethrower?" Robin asked again. Just then the police arrived. Zatana had put out all the flames, and followed them inside. Robin gestured to the fallen thugs. "They're all yours, officers." He told them. They exchanged a look, then looked back to Robin.

"You're Batman's sidekick, aren't you?" asked one of them.

"We don't really like the term _sidekick_ so much," Desmond informed them. "We're a team. Young Justice." The cops exchanged another look.

"Yeah, whatever," one said, helping a thug to his feet. "How 'bout you just stay out of Blüdhaven for a while, huh?" Desmond and Robin exchanged confused looks as the police led the thugs out of the front of the store.

"That was weird," said Conner. Desmond, Robin, and Zatana nodded in agreement.

XxXxX

Robin piloted the Bio-ship back towards Mount Justice in silence. Zatana sat near him, also not speaking much. Desmond and Conner were chatting away for a while, but when they realized the others weren't saying anything, they quickly quieted down. Eventually Shifter had to ask Robin what was up.

"Rob?" he called. He spun his chair around to face the boy wonder. "What's on your mind, dude?" Robin sighed.

"Those cops," he said. "The thugs. Blüdhaven!"

"What about?" asked Zatana.

"Well, when we were leaving, I saw one of the thugs hand the cop a wad of money. I think they're corrupt. And that flamethrower. How easy is it for street thugs to get weapons like that in this city."

"What can we do about it?" asked Superboy. "We're going all over the world, we don't have time to focus on one city."

"But Batman does!" said Robin. "Batman focuses all his energy on Gotham. Yeah he goes other places for League missions, but mostly he and I are in Gotham. I just… I just wish that Blüdhaven had its own protector." With that he lapsed back into silent thought. Desmond could tell the young hero felt strongly about this. He didn't know if Robin could truly do anything about it now, but maybe one day he'd find a way. For now, however, he'd have to settle for sticking with Young Justice.

_So yeah, two in such a short amount of time. I don't know when the next will be up, but I hope it'll be soon. Anyway, please continue to read and favorite, review if you want. See y'all next time!_


	28. Daring Dangers

_Author's Note: This has been a super productive few days. I'm trying to crank them out now, because I might not be able to write a bunch for a week or so. Anyway, I don't want to keep you. This one's set during the episode "Performance." Just a little heads up; for a good chunk of the chapter, the team is referred to by their fake names, the Dangers. As a cheat sheet to remember who is who: Robin=Dan, Artemis=Diane, Roy=Dane, Conner=Dean, M'gann=Dawn, and Desmond=Desmond… what? It starts with a D, doesn't it? Enjoy._

**Disclaimer: I own none of Young Justice**

Chapter Twenty Eight

Daring Dangers

"Dames en heren!" announced Jack Haly, the ringmaster of Haly's traveling circus. "Mesdames et messieurs! Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Haly International Traveling Circus!" A roar from the crowd followed this opening. Please welcome our latest acts…" The spotlight moved off of Jack Haly to the top of the trapeze, and onto a small boy clad in red and white. He wore a white mask to cover his eyes, but smiled as he waved to the crowd. "The Daring Dangers!" The boy grabbed the trapeze bar and swung out, doing a flip in the air. "Dan Danger!" Haly introduced him.

A girl with orange hair in a similar uniform did the same trick, but at the opposite end of the trapeze. They exchanged bars in mid air. "Dawn Danger!" announced Haly.

Two archers, a boy and a girl, pulled sparkling arrows back in their bows. A larger, dark haired boy flung a barrel into the air. "Diane Danger! Dane Danger! Dean Danger!"

The barrel fell directly on top of a final boy, who curled into a tight ball. The arrows were fired, and all six (three from each archer) passed through the flimsy barrel, with the final boy still inside. The crowd was silent for a moment. And then the barrel sprang apart, pieces of wood flying everywhere, revealing the boy completely unscathed. "And Desmond Danger!"

Dawn and Dan continued doing flips in the air. "You'll never see another act like this folks," said Haly. "And the trapeze act is completed _without a net_!" As if it was a cue to cause peril, Dan missed Dawn's hands, sending him falling to the ground.

_Robin!_ Mentally shouted Dawn Danger.

_Don't blow our cover!_ Thought Dan.

_But saving your life's okay?_ Clarified Dean. He flung another barrel up at the falling boy, who landed on it and was boosted back up to the trapeze. Dawn grabbed his hand, and the two landed safely on a platform.

"Put your hands together for… the Daring Dangers!" Shouted Haly. The Dangers raised their arms up into the air to take in the applause, then quickly left the spotlights to make room for the other acts.

As soon as they were out of sight, Desmond leaned over to Dan. "You alright, _Dan_?" he asked, putting emphasis on the name.

"Knock it off, Des," he said, wiping sweat off his brow. Young Justice had decided to stick to the fake identities at all times; even with each other. "This twenty four hour bug really hit me hard."

"It's been going around," said Dawn.

When Robin had originally told the others they would be joining the circus, no one thought he was being serious. But after he had said Batman suspected that several high-risk thefts were connected to the circus' stops, and that this was an undercover job, things got more serious. So Young Justice became the Daring Dangers, all using fake first names (except Desmond, that it.)

"Hey, look," whispered Dane. The other Danger kids looked, and saw Haly being spoken to, in hushed tones, by a man in a suit. Haly walked away in a huff, and the man moved over to the dangers.

"Faraday," he said, holding out a badge reading the name King Faraday. Desmond noted, despite himself, that that was a cool name. "Interpol. You a new act?"

"Yep," said Dan, not missing a beat. "Just joined the tour."

"Well, that probably clears you," he said, stuffing the badge away. "But don't get too comfortable. Haly's going down for this." He walked away, and the Dangers exchanged a few worried looks.

"Come on," Dane said after a while of silence. "Let's get changed."

XxXxX

Sitting on rooftops, Young Justice watched all sides of a large warehouse intently. Robin had analyzed the data gathered from previous robberies, and had figure out this was the place that was most likely to be hit next. He sat with Miss Martian, who kept asking him how he felt.

_I'm fine, Miss M_, he assured her. But he didn't seem fine; even his thoughts sounded kind of sick. Desmond had seen a few other performers with this flu going around, and they were incapacitated for at least a full day.

_You sure you don't want to head back, Rob?_ asked Desmond. _We can handle things. You should get some rest._

_ I'm sure you'd like that,_ thought Roy to Desmond exclusively. Apparently Roy still didn't trust him, or the others for that matter. Roy wouldn't allow Robin to go back, because then he would be alone with four potential moles on the team.

_I swear, guys, I'm fine, _Robin assured them. _Now can we just—_

_ Contact! _Signaled Superboy. _Northeast quadrant._ The team all looked to see a figure in a black jacket and mask running towards a chain link fence. Instead of climbing over, however, he jumped onto a lamppost and used it to spring over the fence. _Guess we know why Carlo missed that performance._ The team had overheard Faraday interrogating Carlo and his brother Paolo about missing a show during a trip to Paris. The same night as they were out, a building had been robbed.

_Or his brother,_ Desmond noted. _They're both acrobats._

_ Let's move,_ said Robin. The team descended from the rooftops, all landing in similar areas. They rushed behind a building so as not to be seen, and Shifter realized Superboy was not with them. He landed on the ground a moment later, and stared hard at the buildings in front of him.

_He's in the warehouse,_ he thought to the others after a moment.

_How did you—? _Began_ Desmond._

_ I saw his shadow in the window, _Superboy covered quickly. _Come on, let's move._ Desmond doubted Conner's story, but didn't dwell on it. As Superboy leapt to the top of the building to look for a way in, Robin did that thing he does when he disappears without anyone knowing.

"I hate it when he does that," Artemis whispered. M'gann floated up after Conner, and Red Arrow shot a grapple line for a nearby window. Shifter grasped Artemis' hand, and phased the two of them through the nearest wall.

The team met up on a platform overlooking the center of the warehouse. The thief was currently prying a large crate open with a crowbar. Robin laughed aloud, getting his attention. "Caught red-handed!" he proclaimed. "Red faced too, I'll bet."

"Acrobatics won't get you out of this," said Artemis, pointing an arrow at him. The man suddenly procured a small flare from his pocket, lit it, and blew out. Flames spouted from the tip, causing the team to jump out of the way.

"Fire breathing?" asked Desmond, mostly directing it at Robin, who was next to him. "I thought this guy was an acrobat!" Suddenly Red Arrow shouted something.

"Those crates are full of live ammo!" he alerted the team. Shifter looked to see the fire slowly creeping towards several large ammunition crates. "Move!" And then there was an explosion. It knocked everyone to their backs. Shifter grabbed the two people nearest him (Robin and Artemis) and lowered their densities for safety. When debris stopped falling everywhere, the team stood up.

"That guy is _dead_!" shouted Superboy, beginning to run after the perp. Shifter hadn't seen him so angry in a while, and was slightly confused by all his strange behavior this night.

"Superboy, no!" Robin called after him, making his stop. Superboy turned to see Robin propping Miss Martian up on his shoulder. "We need to get her out." Conner seemed to be considering his options—which was _very_ strange—and decided with a growl that saving Miss Martian's life was indeed more important. He picked her up and rushed her out of the building. "Okay, now you three… find the thief…" Robin said weekly, falling to his knees.

"No way," said Shifter, bending down to grab his younger companion. "You're about to crash from this bug. Come on, there'll be more chances. We're getting back to the circus." The boy wonder looked like he wanted to protest, but instead he hung his head as he was carried away by Roy and Desmond.

XxXxX

They managed to sneak into the circus ground without being spotted by Haly or Faraday, who was still snooping around. Despite how late it was, a good amount of performers were still out and about. Since shows started around eight at night, the performers got the chance to sleep in almost every day. Desmond felt restless this evening, so he decided to stay up a bit.

"Where're you going?" asked Dane as Desmond got up to leave. All performers got their own rooms on the large Haly Circus train. Desmond, Dane, Dean and Dan all shared one room, while Diane and Dawn shared another. "Are you _trying_ to look suspicious?"

"There's like twenty people out there, _Dean_," said Desmond. "Lighten up, I'm just going for a walk. You want to come, Dean?" He looked to Dean, who shook his head. Desmond shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'd ask you, Dan, but… you know…" In response, Dan shuddered under his blankets. "I'll bring you some soup or something." And with that he walked out of his bunk and into the openness of the train car.

As he began walking towards an exit, the door next to him opened. Out walked Diane. "Oh, hey Des," she said. "What're you doing out here?"

"Going for a walk," Desmond answered. "You?"

"I was just about to do the same," she said. She held an arm out jokingly. "Shall we?" Desmond smiled and nodded, and the two walked out of the train car.

The grounds where the circus had set up were nice and open, and performers were milling about. Desmond quietly noted to Diane that he didn't see the fire breather, whose name was Arthur, or the acrobat brothers. As they walked they ran into an old woman, a self-proclaimed fortune teller by the name of Madam Sight. Several times she had asked the children if they wanted to "gaze into their futures," and each time they all declined. Despite her pestering, however, she was a very nice woman. She did not perform in the shows, instead tending to a stand that was situated at the entrance to the main tent. She acted as a way to warm up potential buyers to the show, giving them a glimpse into the wonderment they were about to witness.

"Why hello, children," she said, a big smile spreading across her wrinkled face. "How are you tonight?" Desmond and Diane smiled at Madam Sight.

"We're fine, Madam," said Desmond. Diane nodded in agreement. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good dear," she said. She looked as if she was going to say something more, but then took a sniff of the air. "You both smell like smoke. Have you been spending time with Arthur tonight?"

"You could say that," Diane whispered quietly to Desmond. He gently elbowed her in the gut, and she smiled. "Yes, Madam. He was showing us his routine for the next show. Fun stuff." Madam Sight nodded.

"Well that sounds like fun," she said. Desmond and Diane both smiled again, and began to turn away. "Oh wait, before you go…" Desmond and Diane both groaned inwardly. "Would either of you like to gaze into your futures? Free of charge, for fellow circus members."

"No thank you," Desmond said over his shoulder. And before Madam Sight could protest, the teens were long gone.

XxXxX

The next day, the teens were all sitting in the boy's bunk. They were discussing their theories on the robberies, in hushed tones.

"So two thieves, right?" Diane whispered. "The acrobat and the fire breather, dressed in identical clothes." Dean nodded his agreement with this theory.

"Maybe not just two," said Dan, pulling up his holographic computer on his wrist. "Here's the Madrid security footage." The team watched a video of a man pulling iron bars on a window apart. The scene shifted. "And now Paris." A man walked across a telephone wire, as if it were a tightrope.

"So the strongman and the clown too," said Dane. "If the entire circus is involved, Haly _himself_ might be the mastermind."

"You don't know that!" Dan whispered angrily. He stood up and moved for the door. "I told you to keep an open mind." He walked out, sliding the door angrily shut behind him.

"Hello Megan!" said Dawn, slapping her own forehead. "I'll read Haly's mind." Dane didn't look so sure about that.

"I'm not sure we can trust you to do that without tipping him off," he reasoned. Suddenly Dean got up in his face.

_Or maybe you don't trust her at all,_ he said, making use of the mental link. _I heard you talking to Robin back at the cave. I know you're only here to spy on the four of us._

_There's a mole on this team_, said Roy, pushing Conner away. _All four of you are suspects. M'gann and Artemis have already been caught in lies, and who knows if Cadmus pre-programmed you to do their bidding._

"Would you just shut up?" demanded Desmond suddenly. "Leave them out of this. Leave all of us out of this. Do you really think that anyone here would want to go against the rest of the team? We've fought side by side, and we know what each other are capable of. If anyone was to try and fight the rest of us, together, they would be the biggest idiot I've ever met. Kind of like how you're acting right now."

"Watch your mouth, _Marigold,_" Roy said. They way he said Desmond's name made it seem like he knew that it was a pseudonym, that he knew his true name was Desmond al Ghul. "If you want a fight you've got one. Maybe you're on your ass without me even lifting my bow." Conner suddenly came to his friend's aid.

"And maybe I take your head off without even trying," he snarled. Desmond hardened himself, ready for a fight. M'gann stepped in, putting hands on Conner and Desmond's shoulders.

"Okay boys," she said. "Maybe we need to take a time out here." She guided them to the door, which they begrudgingly filed out of.

"I need some space," Desmond informed his alien teammates. "I'm going for a walk." He seemed to be taking a lot of those now, but M'gann or Conner didn't try and stop him. Desmond walked out of the train, and began moving along its side. It was fairly long, so there was lots of ground to cover. A light snow was falling, making the bleak day appear even bleaker. As he walked along the many cars, he saw another figure further ahead. He quickly realized it was Robin, standing with a hand pressed to his ear. _Must be talking to Wally,_ Desmond thought to himself. He hung back a bit, waited for Robin to move his hand away from his ear, then walked over.

When he heard Desmond walking over, Robin raised his head. "Oh, hey Des," he said, sounding somber. "You got a lot on your mind too?" Desmond nodded.

"You could say that…" he mused. Roy didn't trust Desmond at all, but did Robin. He thought so, but he wasn't one hundred percent positive. "So who was that on the communicator?"

"Kid Flash," Robin said. "Just wanted to know how the mission was going." Robin looked up at the side of the train. It was covered in colorful posters; one read "Strongman!" and another read "Titano the Elephant!" Robin's eyes were locked on one showing what appeared to be a family of acrobats, with the title "The Flying Graysons."

"The Flying Graysons, huh?" Desmond asked. "I haven't seen them on the tour. Are they only part time acts or something?" Robin looked away.

"Not, uh… not really…" he said quietly. "They're… they're my old family…" That sentence sounded wrong. Something about the way he said it. And what did he mean by that, anyway?

"Your old family?" Desmond asked, trying to make eye contact with the shorter boy. "What do you mean? Are you…" suddenly the realization hit him. He'd known Robin for months now. He was an expert acrobat, and as far as he knew, he wasn't biologically related to Batman. So where does a billionaire playboy get a child anyway? From a circus. A child without a family anymore. "Were you in the Flying Graysons?"

Robin leaned against the train cart, and slumped down to the ground. He looked at his feet, refusing to look at Desmond, but he didn't protest when the older hero sat down next to him. "I was one of the Flying Graysons, yeah," Robin confirmed. "A few years back there was… my parents and siblings…" He lapsed into silence for a moment, but Desmond didn't pry. He'd spent his whole life trying to run away from his family, but now there was a boy who was the exact opposite. He had no family to run away from, or run towards. Desmond suddenly felt like he was taking Ra's advances for a partnership for granted. He quickly shook the thought from his mind.

"And then you found Batman?" Desmond guessed.

"More like Batman found me," he corrected. "And then I started as Robin." He looked up at Desmond, and they made eye contact. Then he did something completely unexpected; Robin, the mysterious boy wonder, removed his mask. For the first time since Desmond had met him, he didn't see Robin. He saw a thirteen (actually fourteen as of a few weeks ago) boy, with pale blue eyes full of sadness. "My real name's Dick Grayson," he said after a moment. "So, there's the big reveal. Pretty underwhelming, huh?" Desmond sighed, then smiled slightly.

"Nah, not underwhelming," he said. "Just… whelming." Despite Dick's sadness at remembering his family, he managed a smile. Desmond smiled back and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Dick Grayson."

_So that was nice and touching, right? Obviously my next chapter will wrap up the rest of the episode. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I can't wait to get the next one up there. So please favorite, review, and follow if you feel inclined to do so. Until next time!_


	29. The Final Act

_Author's Note: Okay, this one will finish up the events of "Performance." But there's a little bonus thrown in at the end. I don't want to keep you, so get to it!_

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING besides Desmond.**

Chapter Twenty Nine

The Final Act

As the train headed for Geneva, the Danger siblings met in one room. While Dan had recently gotten over his flu, Dawn suddenly came down with it.

"I'm sorry M'g—uh, Dawn," Dan said apologetically. "I hope you didn't get it from me." The other Dangers were leaning over Dawn's bed. Dean pressed a hand to her forehead to check her temperature.

"I feel so silly," she said. "Who knew a Martian could get a human virus?"

"Uh… H.G. Wells?" offered Dan. "Look, when did you first feel sick?"

"Just after boarding the train," Dawn recalled. "It came on so suddenly."

"Same with me the other night. I remember Ray rubbed my head right before we went on."

"Ray?" asked Dean, confused about why that was important. "That roustabout? He touched her before we boarded. Guy must be a walking Petri dish." Desmond and Diane nodded in agreement.

"Yeah…" said Dan, seeming to be thinking hard about something. "Yeah maybe…" Then, all of the sudden, he slid open the door and ran into the hallway, sliding the door back shut behind him.

"What was _that_ all about?" Diane asked. Dean and Desmond shrugged. "Well, let's find out." She slid open the door, and her, Desmond, Dean and Dane walked in the hall.

"… he's down with the same flu as the rest of them," said Jack Haly to Dan. They guessed the 'he' of the conversation was Ray.

"We'll check on him," offered Diane. "It's the least we can do."

"If you insist," Haly said with a shrug. The four teens began walking down the hall of the train cart, and were soon joined by Dawn.

"What're you doing out of bed?" asked Dean. "You're not well." She said she felt fine enough for this, and that was the end of it. After that, Dan caught up with them, and they entered Ray's room. It was large, full of boxes and crates. They walked a bit further in, and found an empty bed.

"Someone's feeling better," Desmond muttered. Then Diane knelt down, lifted up the mattress, and pulled something out.

"Uh, guys?" she said. "I found Ray." She held up a prosthetic mask that looked exactly like Ray's face. The team's eyes widened, and they realized they had to stop being the Dangers for a moment, and go back to being Young Justice.

They quickly fanned out, all going to different parts of the train. They didn't want to alert the other performers, so they refrained from making any unnecessary noise that would bring attention to their actions. At some point their earpieces all buzzed.

"Dane, Dean, Diane, Desmond, come in," came Dan's voice. "We're chasing someone who's stolen Dawn's _act._" They way he said it made everyone understand what he meant. 'Ray' had stolen M'gann's powers. "Her whole shtick, if you catch my drift." Suddenly there was the sound of wood crashing in a room nearest Desmond.

"I got him," came Dean's voice. "But he's on to me. Exiting the dining car now…" There was a short pause. "He's gone topside!" Instantly Desmond leapt into the air, and phased through the roof of the train. The clown from the circus was standing there, facing Superboy.

"That's no clown," said Robin, appearing out of nowhere, like he does. "That's the Parasite. Guy who once stole Superman's powers!"

"As if you kids are who you claim to be," he said, in a low and gravelly voice. "Please!" He thrust his head up, and when he pulled it back down it was no longer the face of a clown. This new face was purple, and covered in wrinkles and pockmarks. Superboy moved towards him.

"Stay out of his reach!" Robin warned. "There's no flu going around: the weakness comes when he makes contact and feeds off the powers and abilities of others." As he was talking, the rest of Young Justice climbed to the top of the car they were on.

"I've snacked on just about every loser in this circus," Parasite said. "But the _piece de resistance_ was Dawn Danger, or whatever her real name is. Thought I'd snack on her trapeze skills. Imagine my surprise when she tasted like Martian Manhunter instead. But she was just the appetizer…" he turned his ugly face at Superboy. "Guess who I want for my entrée?" His eyes glowed green, and Superboy suddenly was pulled in by Parasite's newfound psychic powers. He grasped Superboy by the neck, and made a sound like he was eating something delicious. "Mmm! Now _that's_ the full-bodied Kryptonian flavor I love!"

"Everyone stay whelmed!" commanded Robin. "Subdue, but keep your distance." Artemis and Red Arrow both readied arrows. Suddenly, Parasite's eyes glowed red, and lasers shot out of them, disintegrating both their bows.

"Heat vision?" asked Desmond. "Where'd he get heat vision?"

"You know I almost never say this," said Parasite, dropping Superboy on his stomach. "But I'm sated. Hate to eat and run." He leapt into the air, flying off. A large case flew off behind him, levitating telepathically. Robin jumped after him, but Parasite knocked him back. He flew off the edge of the train, but Desmond quickly sprang to the end and grabbed his arm, pulling him back up top. They all exchanged looks, realizing they needed a plan.

XxXxX

"It's not a complete debacle," said Robin. He, along with the other team members, were now in their usual uniforms. "I picked Parasite's pocket. Got this flash drive." He plugged it into the small computer on his wrist, and some data popped up. "Looks like Parasite's working for Intergang. Everything he's stolen, they're all pieces of something. Their putting together a weapon that generates… black holes?! And the circus' next stop is Geneva, which is where the Large Boson Collider is located. That's the particle accelerator they'd need to build it."

"Now that Parasite can fly he's got a huge head start," said Roy. "Come on, you and I need to hurry. Without powers the others'd hold us back."

"I've still got my powers," Shifter reminded him.

"And you're not the only one with a back up bow," said Artemis. Suddenly there was a large thud, and everyone looked to see Superboy, who had just made a dent in the wall with his fist.

"My powers are back," he growled. When M'gann and Robin began asking how it happened so fast, he said, "I guess Kryptonians recover faster than humans or Martians." M'gann turned to the rest of the group.

"Don't even _think_ about leaving me behind."

XxXxX

The team arrived at the lab that housed the Boson Collider in Geneva. They had come across what Robin had called a "trail of destruction" leading inside the lab, a clear sign Parasite had already been there. When they got inside, they found Parasite typing commands into a glowing blue keyboard, in front of what Desmond assumed to be this Boson Collider. As the machine began lighting up, Robin formulated a plan.

"We need to take him down," he whispered. "Or at least lure him away so we can safely disengage the—" But before he could finish, Superboy screamed and ran at Parasite, fists in the air. "No wait!" Robin called after him. But it was too late. Superboy lunged at Parasite, but the villain telepathically flung him into a wall, then to the ground. He pulled him in close, grabbing him around the neck, and absorbed even more Kryptonian power. Superboy had reasoned that Parasite could get abilities he himself didn't have, since he had the genetic potential for it.

Once he was done feeding off of Superboy's powers, he flung im aside and returned his attention to the machinery in front of him. He typed in a few commands, then turned to face his surroundings. "Alright, Dangers, come on out," he said, addressing the rest of the team. "This baby's almost done warming up, and then it eats Geneva!"

What Parasite didn't know, however, was that when he was dealing with Superboy, the others were coming up with a plan. Robin figured that, since Parasite absorbed people's strengths, wouldn't he also get their weaknesses.

"Big risk to take on a theory," said Red Arrow.

"What choice do we have right now?" argued Shifter. Robin looked down, thinking for a moment. Then he looked back up.

"Do it," he said. "Go!" In a moment, Miss Martian had walked out into plain view of Parasite. He pulled her forward, but she ducked under his arm. She fell to the ground and kicked out, knocking Parasite over. Before he could get up, Shifter leapt down from platform, knocking Parasite back down. He quickly stomped on his chest, and jumped off, just in time for Red Arrow to fire an arrow that emitted a thick foam around the villain.

"Foam?" he asked. "You think _foam_ can stop me? Combined Martian and Kryptonian powers here!" He began to slowly work his way out of the foam.

"Yeah," said Robin, who was currently fiddling with the controls of the Boson Collider. "But do any of those powers break you out before I sabotage your death-thingy?"

"This one does," Parasite grumbled, and began shooting lasers out of his eyes. Before he broke out, Shifter ran up and socked him square in the jaw. It didn't do much, but it got his attention. He began firing his heat vision at the hero, who ran towards Artemis. As Parasite fired laser after laser, the archer fired an arrow filled to the brim with flammable gas. It hit, broke open, and the heat vision from Parasite ignited it. The purple villain was surrounded by flames.

Parasite stood up, breathing heavy. "So clever," he said, panting slightly. "Trick me into igniting flammable gas. But you forgot… doofus' double dose of… invulnerability. Fire… can't…touch me…"

"Unless you make a meal of meal of _my_ powers," M'gann informed him, standing at a safe distance from the flames. "And get my weaknesses as a side dish!" Parasite suddenly realized what was going on, and fell to the ground, his strength draining rapidly. "Aww, poor baby," said Miss M mockingly. "Something you ate?"

In the matter of a few minutes, Robin had defused the Boson Collider, and agent Faraday and his team had come in and snapped an inhibitor collar around Parasite's neck. Desmond and Artemis strolled over to Roy, who had been flung on the ground during Parasite's attack. Artemis offered him a hand, and he accepted.

"Wow," she said, somewhat sarcastically. "He deigns to touch the hand of a suspected traitor." Roy looked from Artemis to Desmond, then back to Artemis.

"Mind… opened," he informed them. "I guess I'd never really seen you four in the thick of it before. Superboy's a hothead, but I know I'm not one to talk." Robin and M'gann walked over, the latter supporting a weakened Conner. "You each could have betrayed us here: you didn't. I'm sorry I doubted any of you…" he took a short pause, and a small grin appeared on his face. "There _is_ no mole." Desmond smiled, and put an arm on his shoulder.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "Now, maybe, we can patch things up between you and the rest of us, yeah?" Artemis and M'gann nodded in agreement, and Conner made a weak groan. Roy smiled again.

"Sure," he said, sticking out a hand. "Partner."

XxXxX

The day the team was planning on returning to Mount Justice, Dan had come in and told them they were staying one extra night. When questioned why, he had said it was a "favor for an old friend." He didn't elaborate, but Desmond assumed it had something to do with Robin's past with the Flying Graysons. He didn't want to bring anything up, but he made sure to put on one hell of a show, for both Jack Haly and for Dick Grayson.

Once the farewell performance of the Daring Dangers was completed, and the circus goers had all left the circus grounds, the Dangers walked through one more time. Though it had only been a cover for a mission, Desmond felt that everyone of them had grown slightly attached to Haly's Traveling Circus, especially Robin. Though he didn't vocalize it, he secretly hoped they could return to the circus life for a mission in the future.

As they walked about, saying their goodbyes to a few of their fellow performers, Madam Sight came up to them once again.

"Goodbye, children," she said, giving each one of them an individual hug. "I know you're all probably fed up with hearing me ask, but… Would you like me to show you your future?" The team all exchanged looks.

"Sorry, Madam Sight," said Robin. "I don't think we—"

"I'll do it," said Desmond suddenly. The team looked at him, confused, but Madam Sight smiled slightly. "I mean, why not, right? I'll meet up with you guys in the train." The others shrugged, and left Desmond alone with Madam Sight.

"Oh, this will be wonderful," she said. "Follow me, dear." Madam Sight lead Desmond to the tent that she brought her customers to. It was full of intricate trinkets and bobbles, all strung up to give the illusion that Madam Sight was some sort of ancient mystic woman. "And of course, it's free of charge."

"Even though we're not performers anymore after tonight?" asked Desmond.

"Well, that's true…" she said. "Just think of it as a Christmas present from old Madam Sight." It was, currently, Christmas Eve. The team had accepted they wouldn't be back in time to celebrate it with the rest of Young Justice, or their mentors. So Desmond smiled, and sat at the large table in the center of the tent, opposite Madam Sight.

"So how does this work, exactly?" he asked, still somewhat dubious about this whole fortune telling thing. "Do you use a crystal ball or something?" Madam Sight chuckled.

"No, nothing like that, Desmond," she said. "Just give me your hands, and we'll see what we can see." She chuckled again at her own joke. Desmond shrugged, and placed his hands in her old wrinkled ones.

"Can I ask you something, Madam Sight?" Desmond asked. She nodded. "Why were you so insistent on showing us our futures?" She opened one of her eyes.

"Just watch," she said. "What you see will make you understand." And suddenly there was a blinding light, and Desmond could see nothing. And then, before his eyes, a scene began taking place. It was hazy, like an old movie. But he could clearly make out what was happening.

He saw what appeared to be a meeting room of sorts. It was large, and had several chairs that were occupied by various people. Most Desmond didn't recognize, but he could pick out a few; Cheshire and Sportsmaster, Talia al Ghul, and Ra's. Everyone in the room looked older than Desmond knew them as. The Demon's Head was wearing his classic green cloak, covering his suit of black body armor. A door opened in the back, and someone walked in. He also wore a dark green cloak, this one with a hood pulled up over his face.

"The prodigal son returns," noted Sportsmaster gruffly. The hooded figure walked up to Ra's, who put a hand on his shoulder.

"I knew you would see things my way," he said softly. "Someday, my son, I knew you would come around." The figure pulled off his hood, and Desmond saw… himself. He was older, maybe early twenties. His hair, which was normally cropped rather short, now hung down past his chin, and he was growing a thin beard. But it was definitely him.

"The Prince of Shadows," said Cheshire, from her spot next to Sportsmaster. "Joining us at last." Talia walked up to older Desmond.

"I'm so glad you saw the light, Desmond," she said to him. This older Desmond said nothing, staring at Ra's with a cold look on his face.

The scene suddenly shifted. Desmond could see the inside of a large cave. There were holographic images of several people projected to larger-than-life scale. One looked was wearing Robin's outfit, but looked slightly different. The only one he recognized was Ted Kord, the hero Blue Beetle. Someone walked in. It was a young man, in a black outfit with an image of a dark blue bird on his chest. Desmond didn't know who he was, but something about him was oddly familiar. Footsteps sounded, and another person walked in. This time it was someone Desmond recognized; Kaldur. He looked older as well, slightly taller, and a more mature face.

"Hi Kaldur," said the other boy. His voice sounded familiar too, but Desmond couldn't place it. "Did you bring Des?" Kaldur shook his head. Then, from out of Desmond's view, someone cleared their throat.

"I came alone," said a voice. It was the older version of Desmond. He walked into Desmond's line of sight. He was wearing black body armor, similar to Ra's', but he did not sport the cloak right now. He looked to Kaldur, then to the other man. "Are we sure about this?"

"Even if we were not, it is too late," said Kaldur. "You have already joined Ra's forces, and I will be gaining my father's trust soon."

"But… isn't there another way?" older Desmond asked again. "I mean, I could betray Ra's right now, and we can call the whole thing off." The boy with the bird on his chest shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Des," he said, resting a hand on older Desmond's shoulder. "We've thought of every scenario. This is the only way." Desmond sighed, and looked at the ground., and Kaldur shifted uncomfortably. "Everything will work out." The boy reassured Desmond.

"How can you be sure?" he asked.

"I'm not."

The scene changed again. Older Desmond, once again wearing his green cloak, was walking down a dim hallway with Kaldur. His Atlantian friend was wearing some sort of black and red armor, instead of his usual suit. They walked up to a large metal door, but stopped suddenly before entering.

"This is it," older Desmond said. "Are we sure, I mean _really sure_ this is the right thing to do?" Kaldur looked to the door, then back at older Desmond.

"Sometimes, the right thing is not always the necessary thing," he informed his friend. "This is one of those times." Older Desmond nodded, and the two entered the room. Inside stood an African American man, wearing armor similar to Kaldur's. There were also several monitors, all showing a blank blue screen. Kaldur and old Desmond walked to the man, and bowed their heads.

"Greetings, my son," said the man, putting a hand on Kaldur's shoulder. "And hello to you as well, young al Ghul." Desmond nodded to the man. Suddenly, the screens all flashed, and several people's faces appeared. Desmond could see Queen Bee, Klarion the Witch Boy, and Ra's al Ghul. One of them said something, but Desmond couldn't hear what it was. Then Ra's nodded.

"I agree," he said. "We appreciate hard work and dedication. And… family ties." He shifted his gaze to older Desmond, who nodded. "I have never been happier or more proud than I am today." He stopped looking at just Desmond, and looked at Kaldur as well. "My son, Desmond al Ghul, and Kaldur'ahm. Welcome to the Light."

Desmond suddenly inhaled sharply, as if coming up from underwater. Madam Sight nodded solemnly. Desmond looked around, confused and worried about what was going on.

"What was that?" he demanded of the old lady. "What kind of trick is this?" She shook her head.

"No trick, Desmond al Ghul," she said, using his true name. "Now you understand why I wanted to show you your future so badly."

"Who… who are you?" she smiled.

"I'm a friend," she said. "A friend to you, and to our late friend Kent Nelson." Desmond was slightly surprised when she mentioned the old Doctor Fate. He had never met Kent Nelson himself, but apparently the deceased magician had known of Desmond. "Worry not, boy. Nothing I have shown you tonight it set in stone. You have the power to change it. And you have more than enough time."

Desmond sat in silence, shocked at what he had seen. Was he to join Ra's after all? Everything he'd ever tried to resist, for nothing? "I… I don't know what to say right now…"

"Say you will make the right decisions," advised Madam Sight. "Now, your friends are probably worried. Go to them, but say nothing of this meeting." Desmond, not knowing what else to do, nodded and stood to leave. As he exited the tent, Madam Sight said, "I have faith that, when the time comes, you will be able to make the right choices." Desmond sighed heavily, and walked out of the tent, this new knowledge as yet another burden for him to bear.

_So… maybe I should explain. First off, Madam Sight is NOT a real character. I made her up, so no, she has nothing to do with Kent Nelson in the actual show/comics/whatever. Secondly… well, here's some back story. When I started writing this, I told myself not to watch season 2 until I got to that part of my writing, so as not to spoil anything for myself. But recently I gave in to the temptation, and couldn't resist putting a little bit of season two into this story. So you can probably guess where Desmond's story will be going, but like Madam Sight said, it's not set in stone. Anyway, please review and favorite, and keep reading if you've enjoyed so far. Later!_


	30. Revelations

_Author's Note: So it's been about a week, and now I'm back. This will probably be how it is for a while, a chapter or two a week. Not bad though, right? Anyway, this chapter is part one of "Usual Suspects." Please enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I own none of YJ, only Desmond al Ghul/Marigold.**

Chapter Thirty

Revelations

"These five heroes have sworn to uphold those values," came Superman's familiar voice. The team was gathered in the Hall of Justice, watching the inauguration ceremony of five new heroes into the Justice League. The camera panned to Cat Grant.

"Superman is now handing out official League membership cards, starting with Doctor Fate," Zatana became visibly saddened, and Robin put an arm around her. "The Atom, Plastic Man, and Icon." While Desmond had never met these other three heroes, he had heard of their great deeds. Except Plastic Man, who he heard was an ex-criminal.

"Shh, here's Roy!" exclaimed Wally.

"None of us were talking," Desmond pointed out, which prompted another shushing.

"And finally," said Cat Grant. "Green Arrow personally welcomes his ex-sidekick Speedy, now known as Red Arrow, to this roster of heroes." Wally pumped his fist in the air.

"At last he has his wish," noted Kaldur.

"The first of us to make it," said Robin, sounding slightly awestruck. "No one will call _him_ a sidekick anymore." Desmond looked to Artemis, to see if she was upset at all. On the contrary; she seemed almost happy to see Red Arrow joining the League. If it was because of the new truce between the ex-sidekick and the rest of the team, he did not know. Just then there was a loud beeping coming from Robin's wrist. He pulled it up, and his small holographic computer popped up.

"Guys," he said slowly. "I got a lead on Cheshire." The team exchanged looks, looked back at the monitor, and decided there was no time to wait. They made for the Zeta-Tube.

XxXxX

The team neared the Smokey Mountains in the Bio-ship. Robin had pulled up a large holographic image of the security data he had gotten, and Aqualad pointed to something in Cheshire's hand.

"Is that the case you saw in New Orleans?" The question was directed at Artemis, who confirmed it indeed was the high-tech briefcase that was in the backroom of the warehouse with Ivo, Klarion and the rest.

"Approaching Cheshire's jet," stated M'gann suddenly. As the ship got closer, there were a few gasps. The plane hadn't landed, as was initially thought, but had crashed. Desmond saw Artemis look away, and he couldn't blame her. "Looks like there were no survivors."

"We can't be too sure," Desmond said, somewhat trying to reassure Artemis. "We'll get down there and scope things out, but be careful."

When the team was all at the site of the crash, and looking for anything helpful, Wally asked why Homeland Security wasn't here already. Robin informed that it was a League alert, and that Homeland didn't get his intel.

"Then why isn't the League here?" asked Wally.

"Because our boy wonder here has some mighty hacking skills," Zatana said. "And he arranged to get the transmission first."

"And because Cheshire and that case represent _our_ mission," added Aqualad. Superboy and Shifter cleared away most of the wreckage, and then the Kryptonian asked what was on both their minds.

"Where are the bodies?"

"Here's one," came a familiar voice. The team looked, and saw Cheshire standing atop a low cliff. "And it is stunning." Shifter stared hard at the villainess. Suddenly, another, less familiar voice sounded.

"I am flora, not fauna," it said. It was annoying, and sounded whiny. "I am foliage, not trees. What am I?" The team looked further up the cliff. There stood a man dressed in green, who Desmond could only assume was the infamous Riddler. Next to him stood the hulking form of Mammoth, and the slender figure of Shimmer. They were surrounded by several League of Shadows assassins.

Riddler snapped his fingers, and several pylons sprang up from under the thick layer of snow atop the mountains. They all came to life, filling the area with a buzzing sound and projecting some sort of green force field around the surrounding area. "Come on, you can get this," he said, continuing with his riddle. "I am shrubbery, not grass. What am I? I…?" He left it open ended.

"Am bush," Robin finished, and Desmond realized the riddle was a clever use of wordplay. It was true. They had been ambushed.

"Didn't you think we'd be tipped you were on Cheshire's trail?" the Riddler asked. "We're sick of your interference, kiddies. This is the endgame. Ordered from above, and executed by their master strategist… moi."

_Miss Martian, is everyone linked?_ Asked Aqualad.

_Yes,_ replied the Martian.

_Go!_ The team sprang into action. They all split in separate directions. Shifter grabbed the nearest assassin, punched him in the head, then flung him at one of the other assassins. They both slumped to the ground. He grabbed another, and shifted their densities. He phased the assassin half way through the nearest mountain, and left him there.

"Superboy, Shifter, the pylons!" shouted Aqualad. They nodded to the Atlantian leader, and began to get to work. Shifter ran to Superboy, who was rubbing his forearm as if it stung.

"Sixteen," the density shifter said, referencing the pair's favorite maneuver. Superboy rubbed his eyes for a moment, then nodded. He spun Shifter around by the wrist, then flung him to the top of the mountain. Shifter landed near a pylon, and kicked at its base, breaking it in half. He saw Superboy jump up, and rip a pylon out of the ground. Suddenly, Mammoth was upon him. Desmond kicked at the behemoth's stomach, but the chemical-infused monster was too strong. He grabbed Desmond, and flung him away. He landed, with a thud, near Superboy. The Kryptonian didn't notice, and suddenly did something that made Shifter's eyes go wide. He shot lasers out of his eyes, like the Man of Steel would, and burned one of the pylons down.

"Conner!" shouted Shifter above the snow storm Zatana had summoned. "How did you—?" But it was cut off, as Mammoth once again sprang at them. He flung Superboy into another mountain. Shifter rolled out of the way of Mammoth's kick, and quickly dropped to a lower level of the mountain.

He watched as Mammoth leapt at Superboy. But the Boy of Steel was ready, and he jumped at a mid-air Mammoth. The two collided, but instead of falling to the ground, they stayed afloat. Or rather, Superboy stayed afloat. He was flying.

_Are you guys seeing this?_ Desmond mentally called to the others. _Superboy is FLYING!_ Said hero flung Mammoth to the top of the force field, where he collided and then fell to the ground. But the Kryptonian wasn't done. He began shooting his laser vision everywhere, flying along the side of the mountain and taking down everything in his path. His power was so much that the mountainside began to crumble away. Small avalanches began all over the inside of the dome. In all the confusion, Robin managed to take out Shimmer and Riddler.

"Where's Cheshire?" Kaldur asked Artemis, as the Bio-ship full of criminals and heroes alike flew away from the Smokey Mountains.

"I, uh, lost her in the avalanche," Artemis said. But Desmond had a feeling there was more to it than that.

XxXxX

As they sat on the Bio-ship, Desmond's earpiece began to ring. He was confused; anyone who would call him on it was on this ship. He answered it.

"Hello?" he whispered. "Who's there?" A low cackle came out.

"My boy, it is time," came an all too familiar voice. Ra's. Desmond's eyes went wide. He's completely forgotten about the secret meeting at Cape Canaveral, and the agreement they'd made. "No time for questions. You will meet me at the same destination as before. I will have a jet waiting to bring you to the island of Santa Prisca, where you will meet with me. If you tell anyone, your whole team will die by my hand." He hung up, leaving Desmond to hear only his rapid heartbeat. It was time.

XxXxX

Batman had given them all a talking to, but in the end he was happy with the outcome. Though Cheshire had "escaped," Artemis _did_ manage to get the case. It was full of some sort of strange alien technology, which Batman was planning on studying at the Watchtower. Once the Leaguers left, the discussion turned to the day's events.

"You realize we were set up?" Robin clarified.

"Yes," said Kaldur. "Cheshire and Riddler were indeed tipped, and were waiting for us." Desmond sighed heavily.

"Not the mole theory again," he complained. "I mean, come on! Roy's not even _here_! I mean, do you honestly think M'gann, Artemis, Conner or I would tip them off? They were trying to kill us. Mammoth nearly slaughtered me and Superboy!"

"Yes," Kaldur said, looking at their Kryptonian teammate. "Superboy, your recent behavior has me worried. Your attack on Mammoth nearly got Artemis killed in an avalanche." Conner began walking away, but stopped suddenly, gripping the sides of his head. Then, as suddenly as it happened, he stopped, and stood up.

"Conner?" asked Desmond. The Kryptonian teen turned around, his eyes suddenly full of purpose.

"There's something I need to do," he said. He sighed heavily. "There's something I need to tell you. Last month, on Thanksgiving, I went back to Cadmus. Found a few things out. When I was cloned, only _half _the DNA was Superman's. The other half was human. That's why I don't have… will _never_ half full Kryptonian powers. What you saw today… I've been using these," he pulled up his arm to reveal a black shape, similar to the Superman Shield. "Shields. They suppress my human DNA. I get the flight, the heat vision… but I think I also get angry. I'm sorry."

"Where did you get those?" asked Kaldur, asking the obvious question.

"From my human father," he said, sounding ashamed. "Lex Luthor." Everyone's eyes went wide.

"Lex Luthor… is your _dad?!_" asked Robin incredulously. Superboy nodded.

"He's just summoned me to Santa Prisca." Desmond's eyes went wider, if that was possible. Ra's had summoned _him_ to Santa Prisca. What was he doing there with Lex Luthor, and why did they need their sons?

Suddenly, Artemis stepped forward. "Alright, listen…" she said, sounding unsure of what she was doing. "Superboy's not the only one suffering from bad DNA," she moved over to the computer, and pulled up three images. Sportsmaster, Cheshire, and a woman who Desmond knew to be Artemis' mother, the former criminal Huntress. "My mom is Huntress, an ex con. The rest of my family isn't even ex. My dad's… _Sportsmaster_. And he's sending my sister, Cheshire, to fly me to Santa Prisca too. And I was so desperate to make sure none of you found out. Well, none except—"

"Except me, Conner and Zatana," Desmond interjected. When the others looked at him, full of curiosity, he explained. "The mission with Scarecrow, remember? When he sprayed us with his gas? We all confessed our fears, the four of us, and Artemis' was the rest of the team finding out about her family." The archer nodded.

"And I knew," said Robin suddenly. The others widened their eyes. "Hey, I'm a detective. But it never mattered. You _aren't _your family. You're one of us." Artemis smiled softly, and Desmond moved next to her, taking her hand.

"So…" said Kid Flash, trying to sound nonchalant. "Who's next?"

"I am," said M'gann quietly. Wally held up his hands.

"I swear I was kidding!" he said, trying to cover it up.

"Queen Bee's been… blackmailing me…" the Martian said. "She wants me on Santa Prisca too. She knows my… true Martian form."

"Bald M'gann? Who cares?" asks Robin. He had told the others the story about a trip to the Logan Farm in Qurac, and about M'gann's true form as a bald Martian. Some cosmetic secret wasn't really enough to make her betray the team, right?

"No…" she said She took a deep breath, and her body began to change. She got taller, and wider. Her skin became paler and paler, until it was a chalky white. Her clothes faded away, and when the transformation was done, their teammate was a hulking white monster. Everyone moved back a few steps.

_I knew you'd never accept me if you saw what I really am,_ she said telepathically. _Being a White Martian among the Green on Mars, I endured constant rejection. I couldn't face that from…_

"From me?" asked Superboy. He walked forward and took M'gann's white hand. They stared intently into each other's eyes, and Des guessed they were having an intense psychic conversation. Eventually, Conner gently pulled away.

"Alright," said Aqualad. "If that is all, we must formulate a plan to—"

"Sorry," interrupted Desmond. "We've got one more." He knew this was what he needed to do. He sighed heavily, and looked to Artemis, Zatana and Conner. They all nodded in encouragement. Desmond nodded back, and moved to the computer. "When I came here for the first time, in September, I told you my name was Desmond Marigold…" he began typing into the computer. "That's only part true. My real name…" Two images popped on the screen; one of Talia, and one of Ra's. "Is Desmond al Ghul." The team (aside from Z, Conner and Artemis) gave a collective gasp.

"Okay," said Wally, sounding kind of shaky. "Didn't see that one coming."

"Did you figure _this_ one out, detective?" Desmond joked to Robin. But Robin did not laugh, and instead shook his head to answer Desmond's question. The son of the Demon continued. "I've been running from Ra's for years. About a month before I joined the team, Batman found me. He said he knew about my powers, and there was a team that I would fit in with. After some preparations, I came here. And I've been keeping it a secret ever since."

"Then why tell us now?" questioned Aqualad.

"Well, first of all, I'm not telling _all_ of you for the first time," Des clarified. "On the mission with Scarecrow, _my_ fear was that you would find out about Ra's. But about a month ago, he contacted me. Told me to meet him at Cape Canaveral. He's been trying to get me to join him for years now. But this time, he threatened with something too precious to refuse."

"What was it?" asked Artemis. Desmond smiled sadly.

"You," he said. Then realized what he had said. "I mean, not _just_ you. All of you. The entire team. He said if I didn't cooperate, he'd kill you all."

"And you believed him?" asked Wally.

"He'd gotten an assassin into my room," Desmond said. "Without me, Zatana, Conner or M'gann noticing. If he could do that…" Desmond didn't want to think about it. "But now he's asked me to come to Santa Prisca as well." The entire team exchanged looks. Aqualad stepped up.

"We will prepare a strategy," he said. "And we will meet them there. And when it's all over, we will emerge the victors."

_So the secret's out, huh? Yep, Desmond came clean to the rest of the team. If I'm being honest, this was my idea all along. He was going to reveal his family when Artemis revealed hers. And since that was in this episode, Desmond's big reveal was as well. Anyway, next chapter will be the climactic confrontation with Ra's on Santa Prisca. Stay tuned; same Desmond time, same Desmond channel!_


	31. Reckoning

_Author's Note: This chapter will wrap up "Usual Suspects." It's pretty much one giant fight scene the whole time, with a tiny amount of Artemis/Desmond thrown in. Anyhow, enhoy!_

**Disclaimer: I own none of YJ.**

Chapter Thirty One

Reckoning

Desmond stepped on the tarmac at Cape Canaveral. As Ra's had said, there was a jet waiting to fly the teen to Santa Prisca. The others had told Desmond a long time ago about their run in with the drug lord known as Bane on this island, so he was expecting that the jet maybe had a few of Bane's thugs within. What he was not expecting, however, was Talia.

"My dear brother!" she nearly shouted, rushing up to her younger half brother and giving him a squeeze. "You have finally come around. Oh, this is a glorious day. Finally it will be as it should; you, me, and father. The al Ghul name will become synonymous with power at last. And it's all because of you!" he planted a kiss on his cheek, and he turned away

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah… all because of me…" Talia made a sympathetic 'aww' sound.

"I understand it was hard to leave your friends," she said. "But you will find new ones. Among father's Shadow's, there are many great warriors. And you will lead them, brother." Desmond looked at her in confusion as they boarded the jet.

"Me?" he asked. Talia smiled.

"Oh yes," she said happily, as the engine began to come to life. "Father has already informed his ranks. After our dealings at Santa Prisca are completed, you will take command of the League of Shadows."

"What about… _father_," Desmond choked the last word out.

"He will still make the final decisions," she explained. "It will still be his force to control, but you have complete access to any one of them. It will no longer be just father that controls them." Desmond gazed out the window as the jet began picking up speed. Talia put a hand on his shoulder.

"Imagine it," she said. "An army of trained assassins, all at your control." Desmond nodded weakly. He remembered the vision Madam Sight had showed him at Haly's circus. While Desmond had seemed much older in the vision, maybe his partnership with Ra's would start early. If things didn't go right today… He didn't want to think about it.

XxXxX

The jet soared through the sky at breakneck speeds. It seemed to only be a matter of minutes before Talia and Desmond arrived at Santa Prisca. The jet door opened, and Talia stepped out. She offered a hand to Desmond who took it. As the teen emerged from the jet, the first person he saw was Superboy. The Kryptonian's eyes widened.

"Des?" he asked, sounding shocked. Desmond didn't have the will to meet his gaze, and Talia put an arm over his shoulder. She led her little brother over to their father, who put both his hands on his son's shoulders.

"My son," Ra's said with a bright smile. "You've come home at last." Desmond nodded solemnly.

"I'm here to serve you," he said. "…Father…" Ra's beamed, and embraced his son tightly. Desmond stiffened up, but returned the hug. When they pulled away, Desmond glanced over his shoulder. "Why is he here?" he asked, referencing Superboy. "You said you would leave my friends out of this." Ra's put a hand on Desmond shoulder, and spun him so they were both facing Superboy.

"And I did leave them out of this, my son," he explained. "However… I cannot tell another father what to do with their son." As if on cue, several people walked out from the shadows of the nearby trees. Most notably, Desmond spotted Blockbuster, Sportsmaster, and a woman he knew to be Queen Bee. And leading them was the billionaire Lex Luthor.

"Ah, is this the density shifter then?" he asked, referring to Desmond. "I must say, Ra's, your boy is a sight to see. If you look close, he looks just like you. The cold eyes. The tan skin. Soon he'll grow a beard." Ra's, Lex, Queen Bee and Talia laughed. Desmond faked a chuckle.

_I want to strangle this man,_ he thought to himself. Just then the sound of a helicopter's propeller became audible, and within a few moments, a large black chopper had landed. The doors opened, and out stepped Cheshire and Artemis.

"Artemis?" asked Conner.

"What's she doing here?" Desmond asked, whirling to face his father. "You promised me her safety." Ra's held up a finger.

"Tut tut boy," he said. "Really, you mustn't blame every cruel twist of fate on me. Your companion has chosen to leave the hero life herself." Desmond widened his eyes, and turned to the archer.

"Artemis?" he asked her. She returned with a cold gaze.

"The hero thing wasn't working out," she said. "You guys get it." Desmond and Conner exchanged a glance, then looked away.

Sportsmaster looked over to Ra's. "So, the prodigal son returns, eh al Ghul?" he asked in his gravelly voice. "Was my daughter's life really this important to you, Shifter?"

"More than anything," Desmond murmured, looking down. Artemis made a sound in her throat, as if she was going to speak, but had decided against it.

Just then a familiar sound came from over head, and the three ex-heroes looked up to see M'gann's Bio-ship floating above them. The Martian girl slowly floated down, and moved hurriedly next to Queen Bee.

"What're _they_ doing here?" she asked, sounding as if she'd been betrayed. "You promised."

"I've kept my secret, and my promise," said Queen Bee. "Now you keep yours." M'gann slowly looked downwards in shame and submission.

"Give me more shields," said Superboy after a moment. "And I'm in too." Luthor walked forward, a sly smile on his face.

"My boy," he said. "You're a terrible liar." Superboy's eyes widened, and he moved to attack Lex. "Red Sun." Suddenly the Kryptonian froze in his tracks. No one made a sound. Then, slowly, Artemis stepped forward.

"What do you want us to do?" she asked Lex. The billionaire looked to Sportsmaster, and nodded.

"You two, follow me," he said to Artemis and M'gann. "The Demon can stay with his son."

"What about Superboy?" asked M'gann.

"He'll be fine," assured Queen Bee, but not in a compassionate way. "He simply requires a few… adjustments." Luthor began to walk, followed by Queen Bee. He told Blockbuster to take Superboy.

And then Artemis charged.

She quickly let an arrow loose, aiming for Blockbuster's chest. It impacted, and the blue monster was covered in her classic green foam.

"Sorry dad," she said, cocking another arrow. "Wanted to play you like you tried to play me. But I can't let him mess with Superboy's head." Just then M'gann's eyes glowed, and Artemis began levitating into the air. Then, out of nowhere, Queen Bee was mentally flung into a tree, knocked unconscious. Artemis flipped midair, launching an arrow at Sportsmaster. He dodged out of the way.

"Oh heroes," said Ra's in his son's ear. "What to do, what to do. Desmond, my son, go forth and fight for your father. Fight for the al Ghul name." Desmond hardened himself and nodded. He took one step forward, then spun on his heel, and delivered a punch that sent Ra's flying into a tree.

And then all hell broke loose.

Blockbuster broke free of his foam encasing and charged a distracted Superboy. The two began to duke it out. Ra's was away for the moment, but Desmond knew he'd be back. M'gann was dodging projectiles from an army of thugs, led by Bane. Artemis was dealing with Sportsmaster and Cheshire. Desmond rushed Bane, sending the luchador to the ground. Despite Desmond's raised density, the villain was an even match. Desmond could smell something odd on him, and realized it must be Venom; the super-steroid that Bane had created.

The two pushed against each other, about evenly matched. Then Desmond lowered his density incredibly fast, and Bane flew through his body. Desmond re-hardened himself, and delivered a kick to Bane's spine. The Spaniard flew towards the side of the cliff. Desmond ran and caught up with him. As Bane began to rise up, Desmond kicked his legs out from under him, and pushed him off the side of the ledge. Bane's fingers gripped onto the edge, and he looked to the waters below. He would survive the fall, but he would be out of the fight,

"_Adios,_ little _hermano,_" he said. "Tell your sister I said hello." With a cocky grin, the humungous villain released his grip and fell to the ocean below.

_Guys,_ thought Artemis, making use of the mental link M'gann had set up. _Reinforcement time._ As if they had been waiting for a cue (which they had been) the rest of Young Justice sprang into action. Kid Flash began zipping around, taking out Bane's thugs that were shooting at M'gann and Artemis. Desmond saw Aqualad confront Luthor, but the woman he was with stepped forward suddenly. She held out her arm, and a cannon emerged from it, blasting Aqualad out of the way. Robin and Zatana began helping to rid the area of more gun totting thugs.

Shifter looked to Superboy, who was locked in combat with Blockbuster. Suddenly, the ex Cadmus researcher flung his creation off the cliff.

"No!" shouted Desmond, springing at Blockbuster. The two collided, and Desmond sent him flying into a boulder. The large rock cracked, and the two forms flew through to the other side, rubble scattering all around. Soon Superboy returned, but before they could double team Blockbuster, the hulking blue monstrosity flung Desmond off of him. The teenager flew through the air, and landed on his back. When he got up, he turned to the nearest person. Ra's. He had removed his usual green cloak, as well as his shirt. Ra's was a rather built man—running a league of expertly trained assassins is a great way to stay in shape.

"My poor, poor son," he said sadly. He slowly drew the scimitar clasped to his waist. "I had such high hopes for this day."

"You're a fool, Ra's," Desmond retorted, hardening himself for the battle to come. "I'll never join you. And now I need to prove that." Finished talking, Desmond ran at his father. He grabbed him by the shoulders, and flung him back. Ra's flipped over in the air and landed on his feet. The centuries old man charged his son, sword swinging violently. It slashed at Shifter, who blocked with his wrists. Though his density was high, this blade was sharp enough to cut solid stone, and it left gashes along Desmond's arms. Desmond saw an opening and leaned in for a punch, but Ra's brought the sword down hard. It slashed against Desmond's face, making him recoil quickly. A long gash made Desmond's face red with blood. It went from just under his right eye, across his nose, and ended near the left side of his bottom lip. He wiped blood away and spat on the ground.

"You'll need to do better than that," Ra's mocked. Desmond charged his father again, though this time his density was lowered. He ran straight through Ra's, spun around, and delivered three jabs to his upper back. The Demon's Head fell to his knees, but quickly flipped himself up and delivered a kick that hit Desmond in the abs. But Shifter was ready. He grabbed Ra's ankle, and twisted. Hard. There was the sound of bones breaking, and Ra's let out a bloodcurdling scream. Immediately Talia was there. She quickly grabbed their father, and began dragging him away.

"Today my heart is heavy, dear brother," she said to Desmond, her eyes full of sadness.

"You will regret this, boy!" spat Ra's, his face contorted with pain. His foot was practically backwards. "You will regret the day you chose them over me!" Talia helped Ra's back to the jet, and they promptly took off. Desmond watched them go for a moment, feeling relief flood his body. Then he heard an anguished cry.

"Artemis!" he yelled, hearing the archer fall to the ground. He ran over, and saw Sportsmaster readying up some type of flail. Cheshire stood over her. Desmond saw out of the corner of his eye Kid Flash coming in hot. He collided with Cheshire, and Desmond charged Sportsmaster. He dodged Sportsmaster's flail, and grabbed the hockey mask wearing villain by the arms. He lowered his density, and dragged them both into the ground. He released Sportsmaster just before his chest went under, so he was just a head, a neck, and half a torso. Desmond reemerged and walked up to Artemis. He offered her a hand, and she took it.

"Jade!" shouted Sportsmaster. Cheshire walked over.

"Sorry dad," she said, taking off her mask. She actually looked an awful lot like Artemis, but with black hair, and slightly more Vietnamese. "In this family it's every girl for herself." She looked to Artemis and Desmond, and winked at her sister. "That's a hell of a guy you've got there, sis." She commented, before disappearing into the shadowy jungle of Santa Prisca.

Artemis slowly strode up to her father, stuck deep in the ground. She smiled a sly smile, wound up, and delivered a kick so powerful it knocked off the hockey mask. She lifted it off the ground and walked back to Desmond with it in her hands. The density shifter looked to Sportsmaster, who had a bloody nose with no way to plug it up.

"Souvenir for Wally," Desmond commented. Artemis smiled, and wrapped her arms around Desmond tightly. He returned the gesture.

"We did it," she whispered in his ear. "We won." Desmond smiled and nodded. But he had to wonder if it was true. Ra's, Lex, Queen Bee and Bane had all escaped, not to mention Cheshire. But both these teens had put their fathers in their place, and that was victory enough.

The team grouped together as the few criminals that _were_ captured got inhibitor collars snapped on their necks. Artemis and Desmond had their arms over each other's shoulders, both for friendly reasons, and since they were both pretty beat up.

"Disaster averted," Robin said, watching Blockbuster get hauled away. "Definitely feeling the aster." The others smiled and nodded.

"Agreed," said Aqualad. "This has been a good day."

_So that was that. As you all know, the next episode is "Auld Acquaintance," the season one finale. I'll be honest, I'm not sure where to take it from there. I have my ideas, and I'll keep ruminating on them for a while. I'll keep everyone posted. Until then, please review and favorite, and keep an eye out for the next chapter._


	32. New Year, New Enemies

_Author's Note: This is the final episode of season one, "Auld Acquaintance." However, this is NOT the last chapter! Let me repeat; THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHAPTER! It will wrap up all of season one. But more on that later, for now, enjoy the second to last chapter of 'A New Addition.'_

**Disclaimer: I own none of this story aside from Desmond.**

Chapter Thirty Two

New Year, New Enemies

The next day was New Year's Eve. The team members gathered at Young Justice to revel in their victories over the past year.

"And don't forget the Injustice League," noted Artemis. "We showed them a thing or two." The others nodded.

"And the night we took out the Falcone gang in Blüdhaven," remembered Wally, looking to Desmond, Conner, Kaldur and Robin. "That was the first time Des and Conner worked with Roy."

"Yeah, because _that_ went over so well," Desmond joked, prompting laughs from Conner and Artemis. "And who could forget the Ice Fortresses? When Conner and I teamed up with Superman."

"Oh my god," groaned Artemis. "We know you two teamed up with the big blue Boy Scout. You've told us a thousand times!" Conner and Desmond exchanged cheeky smiles.

"And of course," said Robin. "Santa Prisca last night." This caused several members of the team to cheer, feeling as if they were a group of veterans sharing old war stories, reliving the glory.

"Attention Young Justice," came Batman's voice over the loudspeaker quite suddenly. "Gear up and meet in the mission room." The team exchanged confused looks, but went to do the Dark Knight's bidding.

The walked down the hall towards the meeting room, still discussing their exploits. Conversation turned to Santa Prisca, and Aqualad began to bring up a good point.

"We have reason to feel proud of yesterday's victories," he noted. "But one thing has not changed."

"Somehow the bad guys are still getting inside intel on us," said Robin.

"Yeah…" said Kid Flash, trying to put a positive spin on things. "But at least we know none of us are the mole." The team arrived in the mission room to find Batman standing there with Red Tornado.

"That's correct," said Batman. "The mole was Red Arrow."

"Roy?"

"No way!"

"Batman, that cannot be," said Aqualad. "He was Green Arrow's protégé, we have all known him for years."

"Unfortunately, the Roy Harper we have all known for the last three years is another Project Cadmus clone," said Red Arrow. Eyes went wide. Desmond looked to Superboy, who had a mixed look of surprise and anger.

"We've learned the real Speedy was abducted and replaced, immediately after becoming Green Arrow's side kick," said Batman. "The clone was pre-programmed with a drive to join the Justice League, which is why he was so angry any delays to his admission, and why he refused to join the team. This Roy Harper had no idea he was a clone, or a traitor, and his subconscious drove him to become… League worthy. So he struck out on his own, as Red Arrow.

"When he was finally accepted, his secondary programming kicked in, and he was instructed to betray the League by Vandal Savage."

"Savage was subdued," said Red Tornado. "But Red Arrow escaped. He is now a fugitive, armed and dangerous."

"What…" said Robin slowly. "What happened to the _real_ Roy?"

"We don't know," said Batman. "He's not at Cadmus. We have to face the possibility that the real Roy Harper… is dead." Robin and Kid Flash hung their heads. Zatana put an arm on Robin's shoulder, and Desmond gently patted KF on the back.

"The clone Roy," said Aqualad suddenly. "The team will find him."

"Negative," said Batman. "Red Arrow is a member of the Justice League now. Leave him to us." Suddenly Batman held a hand to his ear, getting a radio transmission. "I'm needed at the Watchtower. Tornado, stay with the kids." And with that, he Zeta-beamed away.

_Clone or no clone,_ Aqualad thought to the rest of the team. _Red Arrow was one of us. We _will_ go after him._ Red Tornado walked over, a hand raised as if to say something. Suddenly, however, he froze in place. The team gathered around, and Robin began to scan him.

"He's totally offline," he confirmed. "Everything just… shut down."

"Guys," said Zatana. "I'm sensing a low-level mystic force here. I don't know if it caused his shut down but… now that I think about it, I was getting the same buzz of Batman."

"Batman…" said Robin. "He… he called us kids. He never does that."

"Hey, check it out," said Desmond, grabbing something from Red Arrow's hand. He held it up for all to see. "One of those biochips that we got off Cheshire."

"Something is not right," said Aqualad. "Robin, Kid, Zatana. See if you can get Red Tornado back online. The others with me to find Ro— I mean, Red Arrow." The team exchanged nods, and Desmond, Artemis, Superboy, Miss Martian and Aqualad ran off to the Bio-ship.

XxXxX

The Bio-ship flew over the Hall of Justice in Washington D.C. The computer logs had informed them that Red Arrow had Zeta-beamed to the Hall from the Watchtower. But it didn't mean he'd stick around.

"Where could he be?" asked Shifter, looking out the window at the Hall.

"After Roy went solo, he installed equipment caches in several major cities," said Aqualad. "And one is here." He commanded the Bio-ship to fly further into the surrounding D.C. area. It landed atop an apartment building (in camo mode, of course) and Aqualad got up to leave.

"Wait up," called Superboy, as he and Desmond got up to follow.

"No," commanded their leader. "Not to be rude, but Roy has been my best friend for three years. Clone or not, that relationship is authentic. He will want to see me, and me alone. I will return soon." Aqualad left without leaving it up for debate.

They sat in silence for the duration of Aqualad's absence. It didn't take long; he arrived with Red Arrow in tow in about two minutes.

"Where're the others?" the archer asked, boarding the Bio-ship.

"Kid, Z, and Robin stayed at the Cave," Desmond said, and he explained the incident with Red Tornado.

As the Bio-ship began its ascent, Superboy said, "Batman and Tornado said you were a Cadmus clone. Like me."

"Then that explains it," Roy said with a sigh. "I was a sleeper agent. Preprogrammed to infiltrate the League. I think Sportsmaster was my handler. He used a phrase, 'Broken Arrow' that could shut me down. Allow them to feed me false information or have me carry out orders."

"Red Sun," Superboy mumbled, realizing the connection between the two.

Roy turned in his chair to face Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis and Shifter. "I think… one of my orders was to focus suspicion on the four of you. I'm sorry." The four heroes exchanged looks, then gave a sympathetic nod of acceptance to Roy.

"How did Batman discover this?" asked Aqualad. "And prevent you from betraying the League?"

"He didn't," Red Arrow said. He then told the team a very long and somewhat confusing story. Those biochips we'd found, known as Staro-Tech, were used to infect the minds of the League. It was all Vandal Savage's plan. Savage was the only living man older than Ra's al Ghul, and Desmond knew that the two ancient beings had worked together on several occasions. Savage had used Roy to infiltrate the League and plant the Staro-Tech on each member, effectively giving him access to the Watchtower.

"But why aren't _you_ enslaved anymore?" questioned Desmond.

"No Staro-Tech for starters," Roy said. "Just my own Cadmus programming. And once I had satisfied it's last parameter, my mind began to clear. I'm sure Savage _planned_ to Staro-Tech me, but I escaped."

"I can wipe any residual programming from your mind," offered M'gann. "And we can—" Just then she stopped talking, and put a hand to her head. When she pulled it away she announced, "Robin and the others are at the Hall of Justice. We need to get to them."

Without a moment's hesitation, the Bio-ship flew towards the hall. When it arrived, M'gann levitated the other members into the ship. Robin, Kid Flash and Zatana stood there. Accompanying them were half of an android (John Smith, the human counterpart of Red Tornado) and a bound and gagged Black Canary.

"We _really_ need to compare notes," said Robin.

XxXxX

In the matter of a few hours, the team had accomplished much. They had removed the Staro-Tech from Black Canary, and began to formulate a plan. Canary, Tornado, and Red Arrow would return to the Watchtower, under the guise of still being mind controlled. Meanwhile, Young Justice would infiltrate the orbital space station via the Bio-ship. Canary and the others couldn't pull of their plan, Young Justice would step in.

The ride into space was, for lack of a better word, amazing. Desmond was awestruck, and didn't even want to leave the Bio-ship when the time came. He did, however, and phased Artemis, Conner and Robin into the Watchtower's base. He made a second trip for M'gann, Wally, Zatana and Kaldur.

They were currently in a small, dark hallway, gathered around Robin and his wrist computer. _RT did it,_ he thought to the others. _He bypassed the security as soon as he arrived. Savage shouldn't know we're here._

_ Move out!_ Thought Aqualad. The team split in separate directions. Shifter and Aqualad took a left path. They moved along, keeping as silent as possible. Eventually they came to a more open hallway. Desmond continued to move, but Kaldur put a hand to his chest and pointed. Desmond followed the Atlantian's gesture, and saw Captain Adam walking through the hall. He carried a large crate with him.

_I'll distract him,_ Desmond suggested. _You come in from behind, and plant the anti-Staro-Tech on him_.

_Affirmative,_ said Aqualad with a nod. Desmond lowered his density and quickly phased through the surrounding walls. He stepped out in front of Captain Atom, who jumped back slightly in surprise.

"Hey Cap," Desmond said. Captain Atom blasted him with one of his special beams (Des was never really sure what to call them) but it passed right through the teenage hero. "Missed me." Just then, Aqualad came up behind Captain Atom. Using his weapon as a whip, he placed the 'mind control eraser' on Captain's neck. The silver hero groaned, and slumped to the ground.

"He's… alive, right?" asked Desmond.

"Yes," confirmed Kaldur. "Red Tornado assured us this technology would not harm the League members. Come, let us regroup with the others."

Shifter and Kaldur met up with the others, and took positions near a Zeta-tube that they suspected would bring more Leaguers in. The others had already taken out Hawkman, Plastic Man and The Atom. The Zeta-tube flashed alive for a moment, and in walked Captain Marvel, Icon and Doctor Fate. The team sprang into action. Miss Martian planted one device on Doctor Fate, while Shifter quickly attached one to Icon. Captain Marvel charged Zatana.

"Trulb tuo 'Mazahs'!" she shouted.

"Shazam!" yelled Captain Marvel. In a flash of lightning, Marvel was gone and Billy Bastion replaced him. He fell into Zatana's arms, and she helped him stand. Desmond walked over.

"Hi Billy," he said.

_Uh guys,_ came Kid Flash over the mental link. _If you aren't busy…_

_On my way,_ thought Aqualad. _Desmond, come with me. You three, rendezvous with Robin and Superboy._ They nodded, and Aqualad ran off again.

"Let's go," said Desmond. "We've got to find Robin and Superboy." He ran off, with M'gann floating just behind him. Zatana waited a moment, but eventually caught up with them. Desmond didn't feel it necessary to ask why.

The three arrived in a large room, which was, surprisingly, full of trees and other plant life. Desmond saw Robin fighting Hawkwoman, and he leapt to his aid. He grabbed the Thanagarian by the wings, pulling hard. She couldn't break free, and Robin took the opportunity to plant the biochip on her neck. As she slumped to the ground, a golden rope came out of nowhere, and encircled Shifter. He looked, and realized it was Wonder Woman, with her lasso of truth. M'gann swooped in, and planted a chip on the Amazon's neck while she was distracted. The Martian flew away again, and Shifter ran off to fight another battle.

As Shifter ran, a large, green hand wrapped around his torso. He looked to see John Stewart, one of Earth's Green Lanterns, commanding the light construct to squeeze harder. Des quickly phased out, and when Green Lantern swooped down for a punch, Shifter delivered one to his jaw. The hero fell to the ground, where Desmond planted a chip on his neck.

Shifter looked above him to see Superboy and Miss Martian fighting both their mentors. Miss M suddenly shifted into a White Martian, and did something telepathically to make Martian Manhunter slump to his knees. Just as M'gann succeeded in felling her mentor, Superman socked her in the jaw. Superboy growled loudly, and sprang at his mentor, but the older Kryptonian spun on his heel and punched the clone through three floors of concrete. Desmond floated down to his friend, and Robin fell to the ground next to them, after a punch from Batman.

"We're not going to beat them one on one," he shouted.

"Plan B then!" Shouted Superboy.

"Sixteen!" Desmond concurred, referencing their favorite maneuver. As Superman and Batman glided towards the three teens, Desmond grasped Robin's hand. He flung the smaller boy towards Batman, and the two collided. Then he did the same for Superboy, and the clone hit Superman dead on. As Batman hit the floor, Robin planted a chip on him. Shifter ran after Superboy, who was keeping his 'father' in a choke hold.

"Do it!" he shouted to Desmond. "I can't hold much longer!" Desmond phased a hand through Superboy's thick arms, placing a chip on the man of steel's neck. Superman slumped down. Robin walked over and helped Conner to his feet. The three young heroes stared at the fallen Leaguers.

"We just took out Batman and Superman," Conner mused.

"Guys…" said Desmond, looking around. "I think we won."

XxXxX

Desmond, M'gann, Robin and Conner all arrived just in time to watch Klarion the Witch Boy and Vandal Savage escape through a vortex. The other members of Young Justice stood around a de-limbed Red Tornado.

"Congratulations, team," he said. "You have won the day." The teenagers exchanged happy glances, an overwhelming feeling of pride and accomplishment flooding over them. Or in Robin's case, a whelming feeling.

Just then a small holographic image popped up. It displayed the date and time; January 1st, 00:00. "Happy New Year, Justice League." It announced in its robotic voice. Chimes sounded, to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne." Conner and M'gann turned to each other, embraced, and kissed. Zatana grabbed Robin, pulled him close, and smooched him. Desmond smiled, lifted Artemis in his arms, and lowered his density. He floated the two of them upwards, high above the other members. There they floated, embraced, and kissed. Neither teen knew how long they floated there, just enjoying each other's lips on their own. Eventually, though, they did slowly float down. When the landed, the others smiled in their direction. Conner gave Desmond a thumbs up.

Wally nudged Kaldur in the ribs. "Don't worry, man," he said with a smile. "We'll get the girl one day too." Kaldur smiled, and wrapped a friendly arm around Wally.

Red Tornado sighed from the floor. "Human customs still elude me."

_Now for the important stuff. I know a lot of people tend to skip author notes, but please DO NOT SKIP! If you're still reading, good. Now, I tried to post a poll, but I'm not really clear on how those worked. If you can get to it, great. If not, I have a request. Please write a review saying if you want Desmond's story to jump five years in the future (season 2 time line) or go through all the years leading up to season two. Keep in mind that a lot of my non-canon things will happen if the second object is chosen. Whichever you choose, one thing is clear; Desmond Marigold's story is FAR from over! I'd also like to say that, no matter what the people chose in regards to the rest of Desmond's story, the final choice is still mine. Anyway, like I said, please review, and stay tuned for the concluding chapter of 'A New Addition.' If I'm lucky, I can get it up tomorrow. I've been on a hot streak with writing for the past couple days. Until next time!_


	33. Everything Wraps Up in The End

_Author's Final Note: This is it. The Finale (if you want to call it that) of 'A New Addition.' God… it's been great. This was my first fic, and no matter how many I end up writing, this will probably be my favorite. There were rough patches, writers block, all the usual issues, but I got through it all to keep writing Desmond's story. It was so fun to write, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Now, without further ado, I present the final chapter._

**Disclaimer: This should go without saying by now, but the only part of this story I own is Desmond Marigold.**

Chapter Thirty Three

Everything Wraps Up in The End

Desmond walked slowly through the large open hall of the Watchtower. The halls were deserted, aside from the occasional hero that would pass through, making repairs. John Stewart floated down next to Desmond.

"Hello Desmond," he said. "Uh, Batman told me your name. Listen, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. Hope I didn't rough you up too much." Desmond smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving a hand. "If anything, I should apologize to you." Stewart raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he asked. "Sounds like you think you really gave me a whooping. Maybe we'll need to have a rematch some day."

Desmond smiled. "I'd like that," he said, shaking Green Lantern's hand. His finger passed over the Power Ring, and he felt a surge of energy. Stewart smiled, and quickly flew away.

Des walked back into the central hub of the Watchtower. He found many Leaguers and Young Justice members alike there, all speaking about something or other. He spotted Green Arrow talking to Artemis, and walked over.

"Hey there Desmond," said Green Arrow. He extended a hand, and Des shook it. "It was some good work you did here. Hope we didn't rough you up too much." Desmond chuckled.

"That's what Green Lantern told me a minute ago," he said.

"Hal?" asked GA.

"John," corrected Desmond. Just then, Black Canary walked over. She wrapped an arm around Green Arrow's waist, pulled him close, and gave him a kiss.

"Happy New Year, Ollie," she said. Then she seemed to notice Des and Artemis standing there. "Oh! Desmond, Artemis. I'm so proud of you!" She flung her arms around them both, planting a kiss on each of their cheeks. "You saved us all." Desmond turned slightly red at Canary's kiss, and hoped Artemis didn't notice. As the older heroine pulled away, she looked the two up and down. "You've both grown so much…" she mused.

"Aw, come on Canary," said Artemis. "It's only been a little over half a year. Are you getting soft on us?"

"Not a chance, kiddo," said Canary, with a sly smile. Desmond couldn't help but smile as well. Everything seemed to be falling in to place; as Robin was so fond of saying, things felt 'asterous.' Desmond noticed the boy wonder talking with Batman and Wonder Woman.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you guys later," he said. "Gonna go see what Robin's up to." Before he could leave, Artemis grabbed his hand.

"Meet me on that balcony," she said, pointing. "I'll see you there, right?" Desmond smiled and nodded.

"Kids," said Green Arrow, getting a playful nudge from Black Canary.

Desmond moved over to Robin, who was speaking with two of the founding members of the Justice League. He put a hand on Robin's shoulder, and gave a nod to Batman, who returned the gesture. Wonder Woman held out a hand.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting," she said. "I'm Wonder Woman. You can call me Diana." Desmond's eyes widened at the revealing of such a mystical heroine's real name.

"I'm Shifter," he said, shaking her strong yet gentle hand. "Or, uh, Desmond."

"The son of Ra's al Ghul," Wonder Woman noted. "I've heard of your exploits, and your trials against your father. Well done." Desmond smiled and nodded a thank you.

"So…" said Robin, mostly to Batman. "What're we going to do about… the problem?"

"What problem?" asked Desmond confused.

"Nothing to worry yourself over," Batman said quickly. "League business. It shouldn't affect you or the rest of Young Justice. In a few weeks it will be sorted out." Batman left it at that. Desmond realized he shouldn't press the matter, so he left the three with a 'Happy New Years' and departed.

As he walked, Desmond realized that the intercoms in the Watchtower were still playing the chimes to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne." Without meaning to, Desmond began quietly singing along.

"_Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind,_" he whispered as he walked. "_Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne._" He didn't know where he'd picked up the words, but he somehow knew them. As he walked and sang, Desmond made his way into another, slightly smaller room. The first people he saw were Wally and Barry. He walked over, and surprisingly, Barry put an arm around him.

"Hey there, kid," he said. "Haven't seen you since Wally's party. How've you been? You know, aside from having to fight a team of superheroes for the fate of the world and all." Desmond chuckled.

"I've been good, Barry," he said. "Last night I got to kick my dad's ass, so that was fun." Barry laughed aloud, as did Wally.

"Hey Des," Wally said after the laughter died down. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" Desmond asked.

"Get Artemis to be in to you?" he asked earnestly. Desmond raised his eyebrows.

"Uh… why?" he asked. "You're not… you don't…"

"Oh, no, no!" Wally assured him. "Dude, that would violate the bro code. No, I mean, things just seem so easy with you two. Believe it or not, I'm not so much the suave lady's man that I always seem to be." Barry and Desmond could barely contain their laughter.

"You don't say," said Des. "Listen man, just be yourself. You're a funny dude, you know that?" Wally smiled, and gave Desmond a fist pound. "Catch you guys later," Des said. The Flashes waved as Desmond continued walking.

The next people Desmond came across were the two Atlantians, Kaldur and Aqualad. As he walked nearer, Kaldur noticed him, and beckoned him over. Desmond walked up to them.

"My king," Kaldur said. "This is the boy I told you about. Desmond." Aquaman raised his eyebrows, seeming to size Desmond up. He stuck out a hand, and Desmond shook it.

"It's an honor to meet you, Aquaman," Desmond said, with a bow of his head. Aquaman laughed, a hearty, booming laugh.

"Powerful _and_ polite?" he asked. "Kaldur'ahm, you certainly know how to choose your friends. It is an honor to meet you as well, Desmond of Young Justice. My protégé has told me much about you." Desmond raised an eyebrow at Kaldur, who smiled.

"I tell my king tales of all my friends on the surface world," he clarified to Desmond. "You are just one of our newest additions. You and Zatana, that it."

"Yes, but I already knew of the young magician," Aqualad filled in. "It is a shame her father was claimed by the Helmet of Fate. He was a brave and brilliant man." Desmond nodded solemnly. Then he turned to Kaldur.

"So have you seen Roy— er, Red Arrow around?" he asked the young Atlantian. "I wanted to see how he was doing. I think he's still beating himself up over the mole thing. He knows none of it was his fault, right?" Aqualad looked away.

"I'm not sure," he said. "Red Arrow seems to be taking all of this rather poorly. I haven't seen him in an hour or so. I thought he was with Green Arrow, but when I asked, the archer said he had no idea where his former protégé was." Desmond sighed.

"Well… maybe he'll come around soon," he said. "I'm going to see what else is going on. See you around." Aqualad and his king waved as Desmond walked away.

The music was still playing, and Des assumed it would go on all night/morning. He walked along a large window in the side of the Watchtower, and gazed out on the earth. From space, it was one of the most amazing things he'd ever seen. Everything seemed so small there; all his problems seemed insignificant. And in reality, they truly were. Savage was defeated, Ra's was pushed back, and the world was saved. For the moment anyway.

Zatana walked over, and stood next to Desmond. "Hey cuz," Des said, referencing their back story at Happy Harbor. "How you doing?" She smiled weakly, but it wavered. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"When… when we put the chip on my fath… um, Doctor Fate," she said quietly. "I… I tried to remove the helmet. It wouldn't budge." Desmond sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Look," he said slowly. "I know everyone says that Fate is never going to let go of your dad. But… maybe, if we just wait, he will." Zatana looked to Desmond, her eyes slightly red from crying.

"You think so?" she asked. Desmond looked back out at space.

"You know, I'm not sure," he said quietly. "But here's what I know for sure. We just took out the entire Justice League, saved the earth, and our mentors. Right now, I think anything's possible." Zatana nodded gently, and sighed heavily. The two stared out at the openness of space for a while.

"You know," said Zatana suddenly. "The two of us are the newest members of Young Justice."

"Uh… yeah?" Des said, confused. "I'm aware. What of it?"

"I mean, we've been with the others the least amount of time," Z explained. "And look at all we've done. Look how far we've come." Desmond was reminded of the Matchbox 20 song for a moment, and smiled.

"Yeah, I guess," he said. But then, he realized, she was right. For the past few months, Desmond had done more important things than he had ever done before. He'd stopped criminals, fought his own personal demons, and saved the world. All while growing closer and closer to the people he now called his family. He loved the other team members as if they were actually related, and right now couldn't imagine his life any other way.

Desmond remembered the balcony Artemis had pointed to a short while ago. "Hey Z, I'm gonna go meet Artemis somewhere," he said. "See you." Zatana smiled, and made a joking kissy-face at Desmond. He smirked. "Why don't you go lip-lock with the boy wonder some more?" he said, walking off.

"_For auld lang syne, my dear,_" Desmond murmured as he made his way to the balcony Artemis had decided upon. "_For auld lang syne. We'll take a cup o' kindness yet. For auld lang syne._" He walked up the many steps to the balcony, and when he had reached the top, he found Artemis standing there. He walked over, and she spread her arms wide. They embraced, holding each other close. It was only after a moment of silence that Desmond realized they weren't alone.

"Ahem…" someone said. The two pulled apart to find Conner and M'gann standing there, the Martian wrapping her arms around the Kryptonian's waist. "You guys want to get a room, or what?" Desmond punched Conner playfully in the chest.

"Shut up, dude," Desmond said. "You two had the same idea as us, huh?" he asked, gesturing to the balcony. The aliens nodded sheepishly. Desmond looked to Artemis, who rolled her eyes.

"There's room for everyone," she said, prompting smiles from the other three. Desmond kissed her again, and put an arm over her shoulder. M'gann and Conner kissed as well, then turned to look out into space. Artemis and Des did the same. They just stood there, arms wrapped around each other, for the longest time. A few birds flew across their vision. Desmond had no idea why the room they were in had so much plant life, or the birds, but it _did_ help the atmosphere (no pun intended).

M'gann suddenly removed her arms from Conner. "Uncle J'onn is calling me," she said, a hand pressed to her head. "I'll see you later." She planted another kiss on Conner, and waved to Des and Artemis. The three continued to stand there, but Desmond could tell Conner was feeling kind of like the third wheel. As if to save him from the uncomfortable situation, a sound of someone gliding down was heard behind them. The three teens turned, and were more than a little surprised to see the man of steel himself, Superman, standing there.

"Hello all," he said, giving a wave. The others were too star struck to respond. Desmond had met Superman twice, and was still put into awe when he saw him in person. "Um… alright then…" said Superman. "Would you two mind coming with me for a moment?" he asked, gesturing to Conner and Desmond. The boys looked at each other, eyes wide and full of confusion.

"Uh, sure," said Conner.

"I'll see you later," Artemis whispered to Desmond, and she walked quickly away from the three heroes.

"This way," Superman said, gesturing for the boys to follow. They walked down the hall, passing a few other heroes on the way. They got waves from most, but were too confused (and nervous) to return the gesture.

They arrived in a huge room, with a large, round table in the middle. The room was covered in glass, making it like one big dome covering the whole area. Superman stopped them in front of the far glass on the opposite side of the entrance, and turned to them.

"So I hear you've taken a civilian name," he said, directing it at Conner. The younger Kryptonian seemed to snap out of a daze at the question.

"Uh, yeah," he said. "Conner Kent." Superman's eyes widened.

"My name is… Clark Kent," he said. The teen's eyes widened.

"I didn't know!" Conner blurted out. "I didn't mean to—" But Superman held up a hand.

"Actually…" he said. "I like it. Conner Kent," he put a hand on his "son's" shoulder. "It fits." The Kryptonians smiled at each other a moment, but then Superman cleared his throat. "But that's not why I called you here. Obviously not, or else why would I have invited Desmond?"

"Yeah, um, why _did_ you invite me?" Desmond asked, raising a finger to ask his question. Superman adopted a face that echoed a sort of pride, as well as a look of reflection.

"I've been watching you," Superman said. "Both of you. Well, not literally, as you might imagine. Batman, Red Tornado and Black Canary have been keeping me posted on what's been going on in your lives." Conner and Des exchanged confused looks, but let Superman continue. "I've watched the both of you grow and mature. And what I've seen above all is how close the two of you have become." It was true. Though Desmond had grown immensely close to all members of Young Justice, Conner Kent was by far his closest and best friend. The two were practically brothers.

"Desmond's my best friend," Conner provided.

"And Conner mine," Desmond said. Superman shook his head.

"I know, I know," he said. "But it's more than that. The two of you are like brothers. I see it everywhere; the way you act, the way you talk, the way you fight." Superman seemed to trail off. Desmond and Conner didn't want to interrupt his train of thought, but eventually the younger Kryptonian cleared his throat.

"You were, uh, saying?" he asked. Superman smiled gently, and walked over to Conner.

"Do you know what this symbol means?" he asked, poking a finger at the red S on Conner's shirt. Conner raised an eyebrow.

"Um, it's your symbol," he said, sounding confused at the odd question. "The Superman Shield." Superman shook his head.

"Yes and no," he said. "As you know, I'm from a planet known as Krypton. It was destroyed long ago, but before it was, there were many families or 'houses' on Krypton." He pointed to the S on his own chest. "This is the symbol for the House of El. I told you my name was Clark Kent. That's only part true. That was the name my Earth parents gave me. My true name is Kal-El." Desmond vaguely remembered Black Canary referring to Superman as Kal once before.

"Conner, if you're going to wear that symbol, I want you to know what it truly means," Superman continued. "Furthermore, I want you to be a part of the legacy behind it. Both of you." He extended his arms, as wide as they could go without looking ridiculous. "Conner Kent, Desmond Marigold, I invite you to join the House of El."

Desmond didn't think his eyes had ever been wider. Superman had practically just offered to invite Desmond into his family. Desmond had no idea what to say, and turned to Conner for any ideas. The younger Kryptonian was equally, if not more blindsided by the sudden offer. But suddenly, without warning, he did something very out of character. The boy of steel _kneeled down_ before his father.

"I would be… honored to join the House of El," he said. "It's all I want." Superman smiled broadly, and put his hands on Conner's shoulders. The younger Kryptonian stood, and gazed deeply into the elder's eyes.

"I name you Kon-El of Krypton," Superman said, sounding prouder than any father had ever been. "Welcome to the House of El." Kon-El nodded once, a smile wavering on his lips. Superman quickly embraced his clone, his son, and held him close for a moment. When he let go, his attention turned to Desmond.

"Desmond Marigold," he said. "Like I said, the two of you are practically brothers. It wouldn't be right inviting one brother into a family and not the other." Desmond looked from Superman to Conner. His friend, with a fire in his eyes, nodded a few times. Desmond seriously weighed the options. Here he was being offered something he'd always wanted; a family name he could be proud of, and family members that loved him, and wouldn't use him.

But, despite that, Desmond shook his head.

"I'm sorry Sup—er, Kal," he said. "It wouldn't be right. I'm not Kryptonian. I'm not really your son, not like Conner is. Don't get me wrong; I'm honored. I've never felt so honored in my life. But… no. It wouldn't feel right." Conner's face fell a bit, and Superman closed his eyes.

"I understand," Superman said with a nod. "It was a lot to ask, and I respect your decision. But… I have one thing to ask you." He turned, and moved to a small keyboard on the nearby table. "Perhaps you're familiar with John Henry Irons. Owner and founder of Steelworks in Metropolis." An image popped up in the air. A man clad in what appeared to be a suit of solid steel. He wore a red cape, carried a large hammer, and on his chest was the symbol of the House of El. "But his alter ego, the hero Steel, is much better known."

Desmond had indeed heard of Steel. Some people said he was a personal friend of Superman, despite not joining the League as of yet. "I know of Steel," Desmond said.

Superman pointed to the image. "Look at his chest," he said. "Steel has adopted the symbol of the House, without officially joining it. I would be most honored and pleased if you would do the same, and become an honorary member, of sorts."

Desmond took barely any time at all to think of his response. He smiled widely, and nodded vigorously. Kal and Kon-El smiled as well.

"We'll get you a new outfit," Conner said, flinging an arm over Desmond's shoulder. "Bro."

XxXxX

Desmond and Conner, the two newest members to the House of El (well, one and a half) walked into the large central hub of the watchtower. The other heroes and teens were waiting there. Artemis walked up to Desmond.

"So where'd you guys go off to, anyway?" she asked. Desmond exchanged a glance with Conner.

"Later," he said. "We'll talk about it later." And left it at that.

The teens grouped together, standing separate from the Leaguers. The elder heroes gazed upon the younger generation, looks of pride across every face. Batman stepped forward.

"Tonight was your reckoning," he said. "In circumstances you had never been trained for, circumstances no one had ever expected, you all outperformed yourselves. And, more importantly, our enemies. Though we still have several problems to solve, and mysteries to piece together, for now, it was a victory." The teens exchanged looks, smiling to each other.

"You have done us proud," said Martian Manhunter.

"A victory to be talked about for years to come," concurred Aquaman.

"I taught them everything they know," said Black Canary jokingly.

"Now go home, and get some sleep," said Green Arrow. "So _we_ can bust out the champagne. It _is_ New Year's after all." Canary elbowed him in the ribs, and the teenagers chuckled.

"He's right, though," said Batman. "Go home. Rest. Forget your worries, if just for the night. You've all more than earned it." The teens nodded, waved their goodbyes, and Zeta-beamed to Mount Justice.

XxXxX

When they arrived, Wally checked the time, and informed the others it was just after one in the morning. Upon hearing this, several of the teens yawned and felt their eyes get heavy. Though it was late, the team wanted to relish a few more moments together after their recent victory. M'gann popped some popcorn and threw it in a bowl, and the team just sat around talking.

They spoke about their first days in the hero game (mostly just Robin, KF and Aqualad) and some of their favorite things about the team. They talked about their proudest moments with the others, and of future plans. One thing was clear though, through all of this conversation. Not a single one of them regretted being a part of this team.

Eventually people began to trickle out. First went Zatana, who yawned a goodbye to the others. Then went Wally. As he was walking to the Zeta-beam, Miss Martian ran over to him before he could leave. She planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Happy New Years, Wally," she said sleepily. Kid Flash's face lit up like fireworks. He zipped around the room a few times, running off energy, and causing most of the team to double over with laughter. After a few more laps he sped right into the Zeta and was gone.

The next to leave was Aqualad. As he got up to leave, Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"You don't want to give a speech or something?" he asked the Atlantian teen. "I mean, you know, being leader and all." Aqualad sighed, and looked across the room.

"Looking out at you all," he said slowly. "I see a group of shining faces. Shining, tired faces. I say we all go to sleep!" The team chuckled at one of Kaldur's rare attempts at humor, and he left as well.

Robin and Artemis both stayed a while longer. The five teens chattered and laughed at what the others would say. Now that things had died down, Des and Conner took the time to explain why Superman had called them away. When they were done, the others stared, wide eyed.

"Whoa…" said Artemis and Robin at the same time. Conner and Desmond smiled sheepishly, and looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"So do we _have_ to call you Kon-El now?" Robin joked. The team laughed, and the night continued on for a while. Eventually though, Robin stood to leave. "Goodnight guys. It's been whelming." The older teens smiled and waved goodbye to their little brother on the team.

Not five minutes later, Artemis stood to leave. "I'm going too," she said. "Want to get to sleep before dawn, you know?" Conner and M'gann waved, and Desmond got up to walk her out. As they walked towards the Zeta-tube, they said nothing. Not because things were awkward or anything, just because they were both so insanely tired. Just as Artemis was entering the Zeta-tube, Desmond spun her around, and planted a long and passionate kiss on her. She kissed back, and when they pulled apart, she had a big grin on her face.

"Goodnight Artemis," Desmond whispered.

"Goodnight Des," she said back. "Happy New Year." And she Zeta-beamed away.

Desmond walked back into the living room to find his teammates. When they had arrived at the cave, the large group of teens had just sat on the floor instead of the chairs. They really didn't care. But now, in the few minutes Desmond had been gone, it seemed Conner and M'gann had both fallen asleep. The Martian was lying on the Kryptonian's chest. Desmond smiled despite himself. He shuffled into Conner's room, grabbed the blanket off his bed, and walked back to the living room. He carefully draped the sheet over the two aliens, being careful not to wake them. He looked around, and shrugged. Grabbing a pillow off the couch, Desmond laid down at his friends feet. He placed his head gently on his pillow and closed his eyes.

Desmond Marigold fell into a deep sleep, and dreamed deep dreams. He dreamed of all he had done in the past months. He dreamed of the friends he'd made, and enemies he'd defied. But above all, he dreamed of the future. Of all that is to come.

And there is plenty.

_And now it's over. Wasn't that a fun ride? Okay, I know I've said this before, but Desmond's story is nowhere near over. I have no idea when the next fic to feature Des will be, but I've already started working on it. It should be up soon-ish. To be frank, I could've just kept going on this one, but I wanted to make a new fic, since there's going to be a HUGE time jump. That being said, I've decided what timeline, so to speak, the next one will take place in. So what will it be; the next year, or five years in the future? Well, to find out you'll all need to read "__**A New Addition: Year Two." **__(it's a working title.) Goodbye for now, thank you all so much, and Desmond and I will see you all soon._


End file.
